Blackcurrant and Courgette Jam Recipe

Courgette bloom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

When I was making this, I was beginning to worry as I could still smell the courgette over the blackcurrants – I was worrying that you’d still be able to taste them when the jam had set, BUT you can’t!!  What a relief!   I was speaking to my Dad about this, saying that I wasn’t impressed that the yield was only as much as my usual Blackcurrant recipe for the same amount of Blackcurrants.   My canny Dad though pointed out that for the same amount of Jam, I had only used half the

 sugar, so it was cheaper!   And had used up a courgette from the glut!

1lb Courgettes – skinned, seeded and chopped roughly into about 1 cm cubes

2lb Blackcurrants – taken off their stalks

Blackcurrants (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3/4 pint of water

3lb sugar

Prepare your jam jars (rinse them, and their lids, and pop them into a low oven – 150 degrees until you are ready for them.  I normally pop my ladle in there at the same time, and my jam funnel. )

Pop the Blackcurrants and Water in your preserving pan (cauldron as we call it) and simmer gently until the skins are soft.

At the same time, steam the courgettes for 5 – 10 mins to soften them, and then blitz them in a food processor (or mash them)

Mix in the courgette in with the blackcurrants and water.

Add the sugar, and bring to boil slowly.   Bubble away mixing regularly until setting point is reached – I normally use the cold spoon method.   Dip your spoon into the jam so that it’s got a thin covering of jam, let it cool slightly, and then push the jam along the spoon with your finger, if the skin on it wrinkles, it’s ready!

Pour it into the prepared jam jars, pop wax discs on top, and seal with the lids.  Label them up too, as Blackcurrant and Blackberry Jam looks very similar!!

I got about 8 jars of jam from these quantities.

 

If you don’t have courgettes coming out of your ears, but Rhubarb instead, I’ve added a recipe for Blackcurrant and Rhubarb Jam