TOP 2 recipes for black and red currant jam with cherry leaves
The beneficial properties of black currant have been familiar to mankind from time immemorial. Therefore, the fruit crop is used for cooking jams, preserves, juices, compotes and simply grind with sugar. But if fragrant black or red currant jam is prepared with young cherry leaves, then the taste and useful properties of the delicacy will increase many times, and the guests will never guess what kind of jam they were treated to.
Features of making currant jam with cherry leaves for the winter
There are several ways to make currant jam with the addition of young cherry leaves.
In the first case, a decoction of the leaves is prepared separately, and only then ripe berries are added to it.
In the second version, the leaves are boiled with currants, and then extracted from the finished product.
Advice! For a rich and tasty treat, use only high-quality, ripe fruits.
Selection and preparation of products
The choice of berries depends on your taste preferences. Both red and black currants are suitable for jam. Before cooking, the fruits are washed, dried, separated from the stalks and sorted out for the presence of spoiled and dented specimens.
Cherry leaves are preferable to collect young, they contain the most useful substances and aromas. Before cooking, they are thoroughly washed and dried.
How to prepare containers for the start of the process
To make jam you will need:
- A saucepan for boiling broth.
- A low-sided stainless steel bowl or saucepan, Teflon lined, or any enamel cookware.
- A wooden spatula or spoon works best for stirring.
- Sterilized jars or special containers for the finished product.
Aluminum cookware is not suitable for cooking preserves, jams and marmalades. The already high acidity of the berries increases even more when in contact with such basins and pots.
Important! The lower the sides of the dishes, the faster excess liquid evaporates, and the delicacy becomes thick and viscous.
How to make currant jam with cherry leaves at home
There are no complicated stages in the preparation of delicious, homemade, aromatic jam. Therefore, novice hostesses can also cook a delicacy.
Blackcurrant recipe
To make jam using the first method, you will need:
- Ripe, sorted berries: 1 kg.
- Cherry Leaves: 2 cups
- Sugar corresponds to the number of berries, 1 kilogram. If the fruits are very sour, then the amount of sugar is increased to 1.5 kilograms.
- To prepare the broth, you need 300 milliliters of clean water.
The preparation of the treats begins with the preparation of the infusion. The leaves are poured with water, brought to a boil and boiled for 10-15 minutes.
Prepared berries are added to the strained, hot broth and boiled for 10 to 15 minutes, then granulated sugar is added, and boiled for another 15-20 minutes, periodically removing the formed foam.
The cooked jam is laid out in carefully sterilized prepared containers and closed.
For the second method, exactly the same amount of products is used, only the leaves are boiled along with the berries. And when the product is ready, the cherry leaves are removed from the syrup.
Advice! Jam is poured hot into sterilized containers.
Red currant variant
Red currants are most often used for making stewed fruit, jelly, marmalades. Also, fruits are often added to desserts, dairy products, nectars and juices. But experienced housewives from red currant berries make amazing preserves and jams.
To make jam you will need:
- Red currants in the amount of 10-12 glasses.
- Granulated sugar: 13 to 15 glasses, depending on the acidity of the berries.
- Cherry leaves: 15-20 pieces.
- Drinking water in the amount of 1 liter.
The leaves are poured with water, brought to a boil, covered with a lid and cooked for another 15 minutes. Berries are added to the hot, strained broth, boiled for 10-15 minutes, granulated sugar is added. The jam is boiled over low heat for 15-20 minutes, if necessary, removing the formed foam.
Advice! To prevent the red currant jam from becoming liquid, 4-5 hours before cooking, the berries are covered with gelatin.
The hot finished product is poured into storage containers.
Storage rules
The storage rules for the finished product depend on the containers used and the method of preservation. If the jam is expected to be stored for a long time, then the cooled, rolled up jars are sent to a dark, cool place. In other cases, the currant delicacy is stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Currant berry jam will be an excellent help in the period of exacerbation of colds and viral diseases. A large amount of vitamin C, which is part of the fruit, will help to quickly cope with the disease and increase the body's resistance to seasonal diseases.
