Gooseberry jam

Gooseberry jam is a traditional Russian preparation. In addition, these berries are unlikely to be found in the nearest greengrocer or supermarket. For them, you need to contact friends who have summer cottages, or look for them on the market during the ripening season. But there are a lot of recipes for preparing this priceless berry for the winter, for every taste.

How to cook gooseberry jam correctly

Making gooseberry jam according to classic recipes is a labor-intensive task that can even last several days. But don’t be alarmed in advance: there is no need to stand at the stove all this time. Like any traditional jam, gooseberry dessert is cooked in several stages, between which usually 5 to 8 hours pass.

In addition, there are a large number of recipes, and many of them require very little time, but are no less tasty and interesting.

Berries for jam are usually chosen to be firm; it is even better to take slightly unripe ones. For some recipes, the unripeness of the berries (when they just begin to form seeds) is a necessary preparation condition. For others, it is quite possible to use ripe and even slightly soft berries, the main thing is that there are no signs of spoilage or disease on them. The color of the berries also matters only for a few classic recipes; for most, the gooseberry variety is not important.

Gooseberries are unpretentious in choosing dishes for cooking - you should not use only aluminum pans. But you can safely cook it in enamel containers: the jam rarely burns and sticks to the bottom and walls. But the foam will need to be removed regularly, especially at the first stage of cooking: harmful impurities can accumulate in it.

Before you start cooking, you must:

• Sort the berries, removing those that have stains or damage of any kind;
• Rinse;
• dry completely on a towel;
• remove the tails from both sides.

This step is necessary no matter what recipe is chosen.

Classic gooseberry jam recipe

Gooseberry jam can be prepared by completely preserving the shape of the berries or by first chopping the fruits.

Whole gooseberry jam

To prepare gooseberry jam according to the traditional recipe, take an equal amount of prepared berries and sugar. That is, for 1 kg of gooseberries - 1 kg of sugar.

1. To preserve the integrity of the berries in the jam, they must be pierced in several places with a needle or toothpick.
2. Add half a glass of water to 1 kg of gooseberries and put the mixture on high heat.
3. After boiling, gradually add all the sugar and keep on the stove for another 15–20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stand for 2-3 hours.
   
5. Then bring to a boil again and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.

The product must be packaged in sterile jars and rolled up.

Gooseberry jam through a meat grinder for the winter

In this recipe you can use gooseberries of any variety and any degree of ripeness.

In order to get two small jars of 400 ml each, you need to prepare:

• 600 g gooseberries;
• 1.2 kg sugar;
• half a packet of vanilla sugar.

Cooking process:

1. The berries are passed through a meat grinder, placed in a container in which heating will be carried out, and covered with the entire amount of sugar.
2. After thorough mixing, leave to infuse for 2–4 hours.
   
3. Then vanilla sugar is added and the container with jam is placed on the fire.
4. The contents must be constantly monitored and stirred if necessary.
5. It is advisable to boil for about 15 minutes over moderate heat, skimming off the foam as it forms.
   ​Warning! As it cooks, the color of the jam will gradually change from green to light brown.
6. While the jam is ready, you need to wash and sterilize the jars and lids.
7. Place it hot into jars and seal.

“Tsar’s” gooseberry jam: recipe with photo

There are several versions of the origin of the name of this delicacy. One of them says that until the 18th century, gooseberries and preparations made from them were not very popular in Rus'. But one day Catherine II tried the jam. The Empress liked the gooseberry dessert so much that it has since become one of her favorite dishes. And with her light hand they began to call the jam “Tsarsky”.

However, this delicacy has other names. Some call it “Royal”, and it is also often called “Emerald” - based on color, and sometimes “Amber” - depending on the manufacturing features.

Of course, the process of making jam according to this recipe cannot be called easy, but its beauty and taste deserve a little work.

“Tsarskoe” or “Emerald” jam has several features:

• It is always prepared only from green gooseberry varieties.
• The berries must be unripe - the process of seed formation in them should just begin.
• The seeds (or the juiciest inner pulp) are always removed from gooseberries before cooking.

There are two main varieties of “Tsar’s” jam: with and without walnuts.

“Royal” gooseberry jam with cherry leaves

For 1 kg of gooseberries you need to prepare:

• 1.5 kg sugar;
• 20 cherry leaves;
• 400 ml water.

The berries that have dried out after washing should be carefully cut on the side with a sharp knife and the core should be removed with a small spoon into a separate container. This procedure is perhaps the most time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Prepare a decoction of the leaves.

1. Half of the cherry leaves prescribed according to the recipe are poured with the entire amount of water and, bringing to a boil, cook over low heat for 2 to 5 minutes. In this case, you need to ensure that the broth remains green.
2. Pour the hot broth over the gooseberries along with the leaves and leave to cool for 10–12 hours. It is convenient to do this in the evening.
   
3. In the morning, the decoction of the berries is poured into a separate pan, the leaves are removed and the entire amount of sugar according to the recipe is added, after which the sugar syrup is boiled.
   ​Warning! The syrup may become cloudy after boiling, but should then become clear.
4. 5–10 minutes after boiling, place gooseberries into the syrup and cook over medium heat for 15–20 minutes until the fruits become transparent.
5. After this, add the remaining cherry leaves to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes. New leaves remain in the jam, giving it a tart aroma and taste.
   
6. Hot jam is poured into sterile jars and closed with lids.

The result should be about 2 liters of jam.

How to make “Emerald Royal” gooseberry jam with nuts

Ingredients:

• gooseberries – 1 kg;
• sugar – 1 kg;
• walnut – 120 g (hazelnuts and pine nuts can also be used);
• water – 500 ml;
• star anise - several stars.

The most difficult and responsible step in preparing jam according to this recipe will be removing the core from each gooseberry fruit and filling it with finely chopped nuts.

For the most impatient, you can use the lighter version.In this case, walnuts are cut into small pieces and added to the jam at the second stage of cooking, separately from the berries. But in any case, the berries must be freed from cores.

1. A syrup is made from sugar and water with the addition of star anise.
2. After boiling, gooseberries stuffed with nuts are added.
3. Boil over low heat for 18–20 minutes and set aside with the lid closed for 8–10 hours.
4. After this period, the jam is heated again and cooked for another 20 minutes.
5. It should be mixed very carefully so that the nuts do not fall out of the berries. It is best to gently shake the pan periodically.
   
6. When the berries become translucent, the jam is ready. It can be packaged hot, or it can be quickly cooled in ice water, constantly changing or adding ice to it. And once cooled, place into sterile jars.

Below you can watch a detailed video on how to make gooseberry jam with walnuts.

Gooseberries with sugar without cooking

From gooseberries you can get jam that tastes amazing, preserving the entire range of useful elements.

1. To do this, just pass the washed and stemmed berries through a meat grinder and add sugar to taste, but not less than the weight of the berries.
2. Mix the sugar and berries well, let them stand at room conditions for 3 hours and then place them in small sterile jars.

Store finished raw jam only in the refrigerator.

Green gooseberry jam

There is a relatively easy and quick recipe for making jam from green varieties or unripe gooseberries.

To do this, for 1 kg of berries you need to take:

• 200 ml water;
• 5–6 tablespoons of sugar;
• 100 g gelatin;
• vanilla sugar to taste.

Preparation:

1. Water with sugar is brought to a boil.
2. Gooseberries are added to the syrup and everything is boiled for 10 minutes.
3. The mixture is cooled to room temperature.
4. Gelatin and vanilla are added.
5. The jam, brought to a boil, is cooked for 4–5 minutes with constant stirring.
6. When hot, it is placed into jars.

Popular recipe for gooseberry jam Pyatiminutka

Housewives busy with household chores love this recipe, as it takes very little time and effort.

1. Before going to bed, soak 1 kg of prepared berries without stems in two glasses of water.
2. In the morning, separate the water from the gooseberries, add sugar and heat to a boil.
3. After the sugar has completely dissolved, put the berries in a saucepan with syrup and boil over moderate heat for no more than 5 minutes.

In sterilized jars, this dessert can be stored in a cool, dark place all winter.

Cherry jam with gooseberries

For this recipe, it is better to choose large, firm and green gooseberries. Cherry will give the finished dish a noble dark shade and rich taste.

• Cherries and gooseberries in equal proportions (500 g each);
• sugar – 900 g;
• water – 500 ml;
• ground cinnamon – 0.5 teaspoon.

Cooking technology:

1. The berries are cleaned of all excess and mixed in a separate bowl.
2. Then prepare a syrup from water, sugar and cinnamon until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
3. The berries are poured with boiling syrup, boiled for 5–10 minutes, then left for 4 hours.
4. Bring to a boil again, cook for 5 minutes and leave 3-4 times until it is noticeable that the syrup has begun to thicken. This means the jam is ready.
5. It is cooled and placed in a glass container.

Delicious gooseberry jam with lemon

Lemon can give gooseberry jam a unique citrus aroma.

• 900 g gooseberries;
• 2 lemons;
• 1.3–1.4 kg of sugar.

Preparation:

1. Lemons must be scalded with boiling water, cut into quarters and freed from all seeds.
2. Prepare gooseberries in the standard way.
3. Grind the lemons, peel and gooseberries using a meat grinder or blender.
4. Place the fruit mixture in a saucepan, add sugar and stir until completely smooth.
5. Place on heat and boil for 10 minutes.
6. Cover the pan with a lid and leave the mixture for about 5 hours.
7. Then place on the fire again and boil for 10 minutes.
8. The gooseberry and lemon jam is ready - you can put it in jars.

Gooseberry and kiwi jam

Gooseberries and kiwis are relatives, so they go well together.

• 800 g gooseberries;
• 400 g kiwi;
• 1.8 kg sugar.

Cooking process:

1. Remove the skin from the kiwi, dip the pulp in cold water, then allow to dry and cut into small cubes.
2. Remove the stems from the gooseberries.
3. Using a blender, turn the kiwi and gooseberry mixture into a puree.
4. Add the sugar specified in the recipe as you grind.
5. Place the fruit mixture on the fire and heat to a temperature of 70-80 °C, but not to a boil.
6. Leave the jam for 5 hours and heat again to pasteurization temperature (70 °C).
7. Cool, place in sterile jars, close with nylon lids and store, if possible, in the refrigerator or other cool place.

How to make gooseberry and currant jam

Gooseberries go well with black, red and white currants, especially since they usually ripen at the same time.

Gooseberries and currants are taken in equal proportions, and granulated sugar in a slightly larger volume. For example, if you take 500 g of both berries, then you need to prepare 1.2–1.3 kg of sugar.

1. Place the berries in a suitable container, add a little water (200 ml of water is enough for 1 kg of berries) and bring to a boil over low heat.
2. After bubbles appear, add half of the sugar specified in the recipe, and the jam is brought to a boil again over low heat.
3. Add all the remaining sugar and continue cooking until the berry mass changes color and begins to thicken.

Recipe for gooseberry jam with strawberries

Strawberries can be used not only fresh, but also frozen, after defrosting them.

• 500 g gooseberries;
• 500 g strawberries;
• 1 kg sugar;
• vanilla;
• a few drops of lime or lemon.

Preparation:

1. Rub the stemmed berries through a meat grinder.
2. Add sugar, vanilla and lime juice.
3. Cook after boiling for 5 minutes (if the jam will be stored in the refrigerator) or 40–60 minutes (if the jam is to be stored at room temperature).

Gooseberry jam with vodka and oregano

In this recipe, vodka helps maintain the strength of the finished berry and increases the shelf life of the product.

To prepare you will need:

• 1 kg gooseberries;
• 1 kg sugar;
• 500 g of water;
• 15–20 pieces of oregano sprigs;
• 10–15 cherry leaves;
• 100 g vodka.

Cooking process:

1. Gooseberries are pricked in several places to preserve their shape and filled with cold water for 8 hours.
2. The water is poured into a separate pan, oregano sprigs, cherry leaves, sugar are added there and brought to a boil.
3. After 5 minutes of boiling, the branches and leaves are removed and the amount of vodka required according to the recipe is added.
4. Remove the syrup from the heat and pour the gooseberries over it, let it brew for 20 minutes, then cook over medium heat for about another 10-15 minutes.
5. The finished jam is distributed into jars and rolled up.

Fragrant gooseberry jam with raisins and spices

In addition to vodka, there is another way to preserve the integrity and shape of gooseberries.

1. 150 g of sugar and 2 incomplete teaspoons of citric acid are dissolved in 1.5 liters of boiling water.
2. Then each berry from 1 kg of gooseberries is pricked with a needle or skewer and placed for two minutes in boiling lemon-sugar syrup with the heat turned off. The berries become like olives.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gooseberries into a bowl of cold water. It is advisable to add ice to the water to rapidly cool the berries. This will prevent them from cracking.
4. Pour one glass of the remaining syrup into a separate container, add 1.2 kg of sugar to it and, stirring gently, bring to a boil over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
   
5. Add 1 cup of raisins, half a teaspoon each of ground ginger and cinnamon, bring the syrup to a boil again and place the gooseberries there.
6. Once heated, remove from heat immediately.
7. Gently shake the pan with the contents; stirring with a spoon is not recommended.
8. Leave for 5 hours, but do not close the lid so that the jam does not steam. To protect against dust and midges, you can cover with paper or gauze.
9. When the jam has cooled completely, place it in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
10. Bring to a boil again over moderate heat and leave to cool again for at least 5 hours.
11. The third time, before heating, add a packet of vanilla sugar (1 teaspoon) to the jam and, bringing to a boil, boil for 5–10 minutes.
12. Cool the workpiece again and place it cold in sterile jars.

The berries should turn out transparent and whole - very beautiful, and the jam itself should be very tasty.

How to make gooseberry and plum jam

From 500 g of gooseberries and the same amount of plums you can cook amazing berry jam in your own juice. It is necessary to separate the seeds from plums, and the tails from gooseberries.

1. Place half of both berries in a saucepan, add 100 ml of water, heat until boiling and cook for about 15 minutes until softened.
2. The cooled berries are crushed with a blender and placed on the stove again.
3. When boiling, gradually add 800 g of sugar and the remaining fruits.
4. Boil until thickened, then put into jars.

Raspberry gooseberry jam

• 700 g gooseberries;
• 300 g raspberries;
• 1.3 kg sugar;
• 1.5 glasses of water.

Cooking method:

1. First, sugar syrup is prepared from water and sugar.
2. In the meantime, the berries are washed and cleared of tails.
3. Pour berries into boiling sugar syrup and cook for about an hour without breaks, regularly skimming off the foam.

Exotic jam with gooseberries and bananas

Fans of gooseberries mashed with sugar without cooking will also like this recipe.

1. 300 g of gooseberries are passed through a meat grinder.
2. Add one peeled and sliced ​​banana, 250 g of sugar, chopped cinnamon stick and 1-2 cloves.
3. Beat everything together again with a blender and leave to infuse for 2 hours.
4. Place the jam in small jars and store it in the refrigerator.

Unusual mix, or gooseberry jam with mango

Lovers of experiments and a variety of exotic dishes will be pleased with the recipe for gooseberry and mango jam.

• 1 kg of gooseberries and sugar;
• 300 g diced mango pulp;
• 50 ml lemon juice;
• 100 ml water.

The prepared pan is filled with gooseberries, mango pieces, sugar and lemon juice. Stir and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Skim off the foam and cook for about 40 minutes until the jam begins to thicken.

Secrets of making gooseberry jam in a slow cooker

In this recipe, it is important to observe all the proportions and volumes of the starting products, since if they are exceeded, the jam may “escape” from the multicooker bowl during the cooking process.

You need to prepare:

• 650 g gooseberries;
• 450 g sugar.

Cooking technology:

1. The berries prepared in the traditional way are placed in a multicooker bowl, sugar is added and left for 40 minutes.
2. Turn on the “quenching” mode and set the timer for half an hour without closing the lid.
3. After the sound signal, the jam is cooled for about 5 hours at room temperature.
4. The “stewing” program is turned on again for 20 minutes, again without a lid, so that after bubbles appear the jam boils for about 5 minutes.
5. After the third heating under the same conditions, the jam is ready.

It is the three-time cooking with intermediate infusions that makes it very aromatic and rich in taste.

Terms and conditions of storage of gooseberry jam

Gooseberry jam that has been heat-treated for at least half an hour can be safely stored without refrigeration. But the place should be cool and out of direct sunlight. A dedicated dark pantry or shelves at the bottom of the room, away from the radiators, are best. In such conditions, the preparations will quietly stand for a year or more, if they are not eaten first.

It is advisable to store jam that was prepared without cooking or with minimal heat treatment in the refrigerator for no more than 6–7 months.

Conclusion

Gooseberry jam can be prepared according to a wide variety of recipes, and it is impossible to cover them all in one article, even the most complete one. Having gained an idea of ​​the peculiarities of preparing this dessert, you can safely experiment with other additives.

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