I make redcurrant jelly without even sorting the berries. I boil it for 8 minutes, strain it and put it in jars. Delicious

Our blackcurrants are ripe (I don’t like red currants, so I don’t grow any; my mother has already picked them at home). What to do with it if you don’t like jam? I haven’t asked myself this question for three years now. I found an amazing recipe for currant jelly for winter in an old magazine with black and white illustrations. Now, for the third year in a row, I’m turning all the berries into jelly, as my youngest son calls it.

These preparations keep well, and the taste is simply delicious, without comparison to the unpleasant redcurrant jam, which I have not tolerated since childhood. There are no berries or seeds here, just a thick jelly with an even, dense consistency. There is no gelatin in the recipe; Natural currant pectin successfully replaces it.

The jelly has a lively and delicate taste; it hardens on the top like marmalade; You can cut it into cubes with a knife. In winter, it is eaten, spread on slices of bread, in summer, the « summer compote » is prepared by adding a few spoonfuls of jelly to a pot of cold water. My son loves the trick of opening the jar and turning it upside down: the jelly doesn’t run.

This jelly can be made from red and black currants, there is no difference. Even frozen berries will do; I add the bucket left in the freezer from last year to the fresh ones. The most amazing thing about this recipe, apart from the taste of course, is that there is no need to sort the berries. I pick it directly from the bushes; If a leaf or twig gets in, it’s not scary, there’s no need to pull anything off.

And it’s also convenient that the entire cooking process, from putting the berries in the pan to turning off the gas, only takes about 20 minutes. There’s no need to sprinkle the berries with sugar ahead of time and leave them overnight; It is not necessary to stir the syrup for a long time. It’s very comfortable.