Gooseberry & Apple Jam has a beautifully delicate flavour and is delicious served with scones or your favourite teatime treat!
Today I’m sharing my Gooseberry & Apple Jam!
It’s been an exciting old time lately, first I was short listed in the MAD Blog Awards for Best Food Blog.
Then last week I was featured in The Sun (a secret ambition) which came as a huge shock as I just expected a few of my tips to be used in an article!
I’ve popped it at the bottom of this post if you’re interested!
Anyway, enough about about frippery lets get onto the important stuff, my latest jam creation – Gooseberry & Apple Jam!
A couple of weeks ago my dad dropped round a large carrier bag of gooseberries that he’d been invited to pick in a local allotment after a chance encounter !
Last year he got me Mirabelle Plums from a new neighbour so I just want to say “keep up the good work dad”!
I must say gooseberries remind me so much of my childhood as we often had them in desserts but I don’t think I ever really appreciated them at the time.
It’s only in recent years I’ve missed seeing them as they seem to have completely fallen out of fashion in the supermarkets.
Hence I hadn’t eaten a gooseberry since I was a child and had never cooked one either!
So when a glut of fruit comes to my door my first thought is always jam, after all I am “The Crazy Jam Lady” according to my daughter!
I thought a straightforward gooseberry jam recipe would be nice but then there would be umpteen recipes for that, so I shelved that idea.
I then racked my brain for what would go well with gooseberries (which from memory had quite a delicate flavour) and the obvious answer was apple.
I love adding apple to jams as it gives them such a delicate note.
I enlisted the help of my daughter (yes there was probably some bribery of going to get her favourite magazine) and she topped and tailed all the gooseberries for me.
I started her off with some small scissors which worked well on the green spike but for the bearded tufts it was easier to pinch them out and I think another time tweezers would be a good option.
Next we took it in turns stirring the jam and I gave my daughter the honour of doing the plate test which worked first time and after putting her finger through the jam she proceeded to lick the plate clean and declared the jam was delicious.
She then proceeded to say that she would be having it for breakfast the next morning, high praise indeed!
We then took it in turns to ladle the hot jam into the jars and then had to wait to try my new Gooseberry & Apple jam the following day. I was really pleased with the outcome.
The gooseberries and apple are a perfect match in this delicate pink jam (being a newbie I was amazed how a pan of green gooseberries turned pink when the sugar was added).
The jam was so good I was then torn as to which jam to enter into the local Parish Show which is this weekend.
I had planned to enter my Rhubarb and Strawberry Jam! I’ll keep you guessing for now!
I have entered the last 2 Parish shows with my Peach & Apricot Jam and last year my One Punnet Strawberry Jam and won 1st prize both times so I think it will be a very tall order to win a third time but I’ll keep you posted!
How long will Gooseberry & Apple Jam keep for?
This jam will keep for years in a cool, dark, dry place but is at its best in the first year.
Where should you store jam once open?
Once open keep your jam in the fridge and use a clean spoon to serve to avoid contamination.
More Gooseberry Recipes
For more gooseberry inspiration check out the following recipes:
- Gooseberry, Apple & Mint Jelly
- Gooseberry Frangipane Tart
- Vegan Gin & Gooseberry Jelly
- Red Gooseberry Cakes
- Gooseberry Cobbler
I’m sure you’ll love this Gooseberry & Apple Jam so do leave a comment below when you make it.
You can also share your jam with me on Instagram by tagging @fabfood4all as I love seeing your creations!
Pin Gooseberry & Apple Jam for later!
Gooseberry & Apple Jam
Ingredients
- 1 Kg firm gooseberries trimmed
- 500 g Bramley cooking apples, cored, peeled & chopped into roughly 1.5cm pieces
- 1.5 Kg Granulated sugar
- 500 ml Water
Instructions
- Start by placing 2 saucers in the freezer (for testing).
- Put the water into a large preserving sized pan and add the apples as you prepare them (to prevent browning).
- Bring pan to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the gooseberries and simmer for a further 15 minutes until the skins are soft.
- On a low heat (not simmering), add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Bring to the boil and time for 15 minutes.
- Place a few drops of jam onto saucer and pop in the fridge for 30 seconds.
- Run a finger through the mixture and if it forms a crinkle and is jelly like it’s ready.
- If the jam isn’t ready carry on boiling for 2 minutes at a time a re-do the test until it is.
- Remove any scum with a spoon.
- Ladle into hot jar sterilised jars and cover with lids immediately.
- Makes about 5 – 6 large jars.
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes
I’ve never even tried a gooseberry before! This does look delicious though and I like the idea of homemade jam.
Camilla
Thanks Jemma, well gooseberries just aren’t in fashion like they were when I was growing up so I don’t blame you for not having tried one!
Jen
It’s so exciting that you were in the Sun, well done! Like you I used to eat gooseberries when I was younger because parents and grandparents enjoyed them for pudding but didn’t really like them myself. I was converted a few years ago by Mum’s gooseberry and elderflower jam, I bet it works really well with apple too to offset the sharpness.
Camilla
Thanks Jen! Yes it’s strange isn’t it, now if I see a gooseberry in a supermarket it’s so rare I just get a huge wave of nostalgia come over me even though I never rated them as a kid! I didn’t like spinach back then either!
William Gould
Already got 2.5lbs of gooseberries from our 3 bushes, topped, tailed and frozen. This might be a good way of using them in the Autumn when the apples are ready!
Camilla
Ooh lucky you William – yes perfect solution:-)
Ursula Hunt
Congratulations on your Sun feature, well done!
Camilla
Thank you Ursula:-)
Peter Delicious
Such a gorgeous colour! Jam is really the best use for gooseberries. I make it every year.
Camilla
Thanks Peter, I have a new found love of gooseberries:-)
Helen @ family-friends-food.com
That jam looks lovely! I’m a big fan of gooseberries and this looks a great way to enjoy them when their (ever-so-short) season comes to an end. Yum!
Camilla
Thanks Helen:-)
Lucy @ BakingQueen74
Mmm, I love the flavour of gooseberries and I bet gooseberry and apple jam is lovely! Thanks for linking to my tart.
Camilla
Thanks Lucy – a pleasure:-)
Kavey
Lovely looking jam, Camilla. We have gooseberries on the allotment, both red and green varieties though it’s a battle against the birds getting them first!
Camilla
Thanks Kavey, yes I imagine that must be a struggle!
Choclette
Good to hear you and your blog are going places Camilla, all sounds very exciting. As does your jam. Love gooseberry jam, it’s one of my favourites and nice and easy to make too. I’ve never had it with apple before though, so I’m wondering what that might taste like. Thanks for linking to my gooseberry cakes 🙂
Camilla
Thanks Choclette. I am now wondering what gooseberry jam tastes like without the apple LOL:-)
Jennifer Ennis
My step-grandmother used to make a delicious gooseberry and redcurrant jam. I’ve inherited her preserving pan but not, alas, her talent or her recipes; my effort to reproduce the recipe just haven’t quite worked. My memory tells me the jam had quite a sharp flavour ( I don’t like things too sweet). If you get the chance, could you possibly see if you can devise recipe that works? Many thanks, Jenny
Camilla
I make jam with whatever fruit comes my way so doubt I’ll be getting any more gooseberries this year but I’ll bear it in mind for the future. Tonight I made Raspberry & Blackcurrant Jam with my 5p bargain fruit finds in Tesco:-)