From July the redcurrant bushes hang with glossy strigs of fruit, and few crops are easier to turn into jelly. Currants carry enough natural pectin and acid to set with nothing but sugar, so there's no packet pectin and no lemon. The tested recipe below turns a big bowlful of currants into four or five jars of clear, bright red jelly.
- Makes
- about 4 or 5 jars of about 250 ml
- Keeps
- about a year unopened in a cool, dark place if water-bathed (step 12); once opened, in the fridge for a few weeks to a month or two
- Ready to eat
- once cool and set; leave the jars unmoved for 12 hours, and allow up to 2 weeks for a slow set
- In season
- July to late August, depending on the variety
Ingredients
- about 2.4 litres (by volume) redcurrants, roughly ¾ firm ripe and ¼ under-ripe
- about 600 ml water
- 950 ml redcurrant juice (strained from the currants above)
- 700 g granulated sugar
Measure the juice after straining; for a different amount, use about 735 g of sugar for every litre of juice.
Method
- Sterilise the jars. Boiling is the best choice, because it allows the shorter water bath in step 12: stand the jars upright on a rack in a deep pan, cover with water by about 2.5 cm and boil for 10 minutes (1 minute more for every 300 m above the first 300 m). The other options are a hot dishwasher cycle, water above 90°C for 10 minutes, or the oven at 160°C (gas mark 3) for 10 minutes. Check the jar maker's instructions; some (Kilner, for example) advise against the oven for their jars. Let them dry fully, keep them hot until you fill them, and have new lids ready (see the sterilising guide, /kitchen/sterilising-jars/).
- Sort the currants and throw out any that are damaged or overripe. The stalks can stay on.
- Wash the currants in cold water, lifting them out rather than leaving them to soak, and drain them.
- Put the currants and water in a large pan and cover it.
- Cook over a moderate heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the currants are soft and translucent.
- Pour the pulp into a damp jelly bag (or a double layer of damp muslin) hung over a bowl, high enough that the tip of the bag can't touch the juice.
- Leave it to drip for several hours. Don't press or squeeze the bag, or the jelly will be cloudy.
- Measure 950 ml of juice into a large, wide, flat-bottomed pan (8 to 10 litres, so it can boil hard without boiling over; with a smaller pan, make a half batch), add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
- Boil hard on a high heat until it reaches setting point, about 104.5°C (see the setting point guide, /kitchen/jam-setting-point/).
- Take the pan off the heat and skim off the foam quickly.
- Pour the jelly straight into the hot sterilised jars, leaving about 5 mm of space at the top. Wipe the rims and put the new lids on at once.
- For jars you plan to keep for months, stand the lidded jars on a rack in a deep pan, cover with hot water by about 2.5 cm, bring to the boil and boil for the time in the table under "Sealing and storing". Jars that skip this step go in the fridge once cool.
- Lift the jars out onto a rack or towel and leave them to cool, away from draughts and unmoved, for 12 hours or overnight.
- Check each seal: press the middle of the lid. If it springs back up, the jar hasn't sealed; reprocess it within 24 hours with a new lid, or keep it in the fridge and eat it soon.
Picking currants for jelly
Redcurrants are ready once the fruit is richly coloured, firm and juicy. Early varieties start in early July and late ones carry on to late August; redcurrant varieties for Scotland covers which to grow. Net the bushes as soon as the fruit starts to colour, or the birds will get there first.
Cut whole strigs rather than single currants. There's no need to strip them for jelly, because the jelly bag holds back the stalks.
Don't wait until every currant is soft. Under-ripe fruit holds more pectin, and as fruit ripens its pectin changes into a form that won't set. Aim for about three quarters firm ripe currants and a quarter slightly under-ripe (firm and coloured, not green, since green fruit clouds the jelly), and leave out any that are overripe.
An established bush gives about 4.5 kg of fruit. The redcurrant growing guide covers care, and the currant glut guide has other uses for the rest.
Sugar for your juice
Every batch drips a slightly different amount of juice, so work out the sugar once the bag has finished.
| Strained juice | Granulated sugar | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 475 ml | 350 g | Half batch, about 2 jars |
| 950 ml | 700 g | The recipe above, about 4 or 5 jars |
| 1.4 litres | 1.03 kg | The largest batch to boil at once |
Sugar is the preservative in jelly, and it helps the gel form. Too little stops the jelly setting and lets moulds and yeasts grow, so never cut it. Big batches set less reliably too. Boil no more than about 1.4 litres of juice at a time, and split a larger amount into separate batches rather than doubling up.
Testing for a set
A thermometer is the most dependable test. Jelly without added pectin is ready at about 104.5°C at sea level, which is about 4.5°C above the temperature water boils at. Setting point drops by about 1°C for every 300 m of height, so in a hill house, check what temperature water boils at in your kitchen and add 4.5°C.
| Test | How to do it | Set when |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Thermometer bulb covered by the jelly, not touching the pan | About 104.5°C at sea level; about 103.5°C at 300 m |
| Wrinkle | A spoonful on a fridge-cold plate for a minute, then pushed | The surface wrinkles |
| Sheet | A cool metal spoonful lifted out of the steam and tipped | Two drops run together and fall as a sheet |
Take the pan off the heat during the plate test so the jelly doesn't overcook. The setting point guide has more on all three.
Sealing and storing
For jelly that keeps a year, give the filled jars the water bath in step 12. The bath stops mould, which grows on jelly when the seal isn't airtight. Jars that are only hot-filled and lidded go in the fridge, and should be eaten soon.
| How the jars were sterilised | Up to about 300 m | Above about 300 m |
|---|---|---|
| Boiled for 10 minutes | Boil filled jars 5 minutes | Boil filled jars 10 minutes |
| Dishwasher, oven or 90°C water | Boil filled jars 10 minutes | Boil filled jars 10 minutes, plus 1 minute for every 300 m of height |
Always use new lids; the jars guide covers which suit jelly.
Store dated jars somewhere cool, dark and dry. Quality fades after a few months, though the jelly keeps for about a year. Once open, keep it in the fridge and use it within a few weeks to a month or two.
Throw out any jelly with mould, or that smells fermented, yeasty or of alcohol. Don't scrape mould off and eat the rest: mould threads and toxins spread beyond what you can see. The preserve storage guide has more.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely causes |
|---|---|
| Won't set | Too much water or too long cooking the fruit, the wrong sugar ratio, too short a boil, too big a batch, or jars moved too soon |
| Cloudy | Green fruit, a squeezed jelly bag, or jelly left standing in the pan before potting |
| Weeping (liquid seeping out) | Too much acid in the juice (added lemon, for example), or a store that's too warm or changes temperature |
| Too stiff or tough | Boiled too long, or too little sugar for the juice |
| Dark colour | Boiled too long, or stored too long or too warm |
Common questions
Can I add lemon juice or pectin?
Not to this recipe. Lemon juice has one job here: rescuing a jelly that hasn't set, in the measured amount below.
My jelly still hasn't set after two weeks. What can I do?
You can remake it. For each 950 ml of soft jelly, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of bottled lemon juice, bring it to the boil and boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Test for a set, skim, then fill hot sterilised jars, put new lids on and give them the water bath in step 12. Never remake jelly that has mould on it; throw it out.
Can I freeze redcurrants for later?
Yes. Freeze them spread on a tray, then bag them. They're best used within about 3 months, though they stay safe for longer. The recipe above is written for fresh currants, so for jelly, make it at picking time and freeze the rest for cooking. The freezing soft fruit guide has more.
Can I mix redcurrants with other fruit?
Not in this recipe. Another fruit changes the pectin and acid in the juice, so the jelly may not set, or may weep. Use a tested recipe for the mix; mixing fruit in preserves explains why.
Sources
Show the 17 sources
- Recipe proportions based on: Making Jellies (Colorado State University Extension): Red currant ingredients, water and cooking method (about 10 minutes until soft and translucent), 4 cups juice to 3½ cups sugar, yield 4 to 5 half-pint jars; ¾ ripe to ¼ under-ripe fruit and why; stems of berries collected by the jelly bag; damp jelly bag, clearest juice without pressing, bag tip clear of the juice, several hours to drip, squeezed juice re-strained; don't double batches or reduce sugar; too little sugar lets yeasts and moulds grow; too much acid makes jelly weep; temperature test most dependable, 8°F above boiling, altitude drop, sheet test, cold-plate test with pan off the heat; skim quickly, ¼-inch headspace, new lids; boiling-water bath 5 minutes (10 minutes at 1,001 to 6,000 ft) with water 1 to 2 inches over the jars; mould forms when the seal isn't vacuum tight, mould filaments and toxins spread beyond visible mould; cool away from draughts 12 hours or overnight; label, cool dry dark storage, quality drops within a few months, most keep at least a year; large flat-bottomed 8 to 10 quart kettle so the jelly boils without boiling over; keep jars hot until filling.
- Let's Preserve Jellies, Jams, Spreads, Bulletin #4039 (University of Maine Cooperative Extension): Currants need no added lemon; batch limit on juice; best eaten within a year.
- Redcurrants: grow your own (RHS): Ready when richly coloured, firm and juicy, from July; varieties ripen in succession from early July to late August; cut whole strigs; about 4.5 kg per established bush; high pectin, easy to make into jelly; net as fruit starts to colour.
- Jellied Product Ingredients (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Currants in Group I (enough pectin and acid with only added sugar, if not overripe); sugar is the preservative; never cut the sugar.
- Causes and Possible Solutions for Problems with Jellied Fruit Products (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Troubleshooting table (soft set, cloudy, weeping, too stiff, dark); jelly left standing turns cloudy; 4 to 6 cups (about 1 to 1.4 litres) of juice per batch; up to 2 weeks to set fully.
- Sterilization of Empty Jars (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Boiling jars upright on a rack, covered by about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water, for 10 minutes, plus 1 minute per extra 1,000 ft.
- Remaking Soft Jellies (National Center for Home Food Preservation): 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice per quart, boil 3 to 4 minutes, test, skim, fill sterile jars, new lids, process.
- Testing Jelly Without Added Pectin (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Setting point 8°F above boiling (about 104.5°C at sea level); temperature test most dependable; sheet test.
- General Information on Canning Jams, Jellies, and Marmalades (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Water bath 5 minutes with sterile jars, 10 minutes with unsterile jars; add 1 minute per 1,000 ft of elevation (used for the unsterile-jar altitude cell).
- Storing Home-Canned Jams and Jellies (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Unopened about a year cool, dark and dry; fridge after opening; discard for mould or a fermented, yeasty or alcohol smell.
- Dry or Tray Packing for Fruits (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Tray-freezing fruit, then packing.
- How Long Can I Store Frozen Foods? (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Frozen fruit stays safe beyond its quality time.
- Berries e.g. blueberries, strawberries (Love Food Hate Waste / WRAP): Frozen berries best within 3 months; tray-freeze first.
- Food Safety and Labelling Guidance for small scale home producers (Scottish Borders Council): Three sterilising methods (oven 160°C/gas 3 for 10 minutes, hot dishwasher cycle, water above 90°C for 10 minutes); jars fully dry; don't reuse lids; cool, dry storage.
- Sterilising Jam Jars & Hygiene (Kilner): Advises against oven-sterilising its jars.
- Currants, FNH-00115 (University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension, Julie Cascio): Seal check after the water bath (press the lid; if it springs up it's unsealed); reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid, or refrigerate.
- Rowan Jelly: How to Find it and Make it (Woodland Trust): Wrinkle test on a fridge-cold plate.