I know! It is way to early to be chatting Christmas, but these are some delicious jams that you need to make while the berries are fresh, and then give away for Christmas. So I am going to sprinkle your feed with a little (EARLY) holiday cheer. First the presents…I mean recipes, then the chit chat so you don’t have to scroll to far!

The Original Ingredients

• 10 c strawberries – frozen or fresh
• 1 pkg (340 g) frozen cranberries
• 1 lemon zested & juiced
• 6 cups of sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp mace or nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp all spice
• 1/8 tsp anise seed ground
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1 box (2 x 3 oz pkts) liquid pectin

Directions

1. Start a hot water bath for canning & place a small side plate in the freezer.
2. Using a food processor or blender, pulse the strawberries & cranberries until coarsely chopped.
3. Add chopped berries to a large pot with sugar, spices, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine the ingredients.
4. Bring to a full rolling boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Don’t stir unless absolutely necessary.
5. Remove from heat, add liquid pectin packets and stir to fully combine. Return to a boil for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Check gel of the jam by removing a frozen plate from the freezer and smearing a thin layer on the plate. Place back in the freezer for 1 minute. Remove and poke with a finger. If the jam wrinkles then it is at a good gel point. If it is still liquid consistency, continue boiling for another 5 minutes. Repeat until you reach a gel point.
7. Remove jam from heat once gel is achieved. Skim off any foam with a spoon.
8. Ladle the jam into jars of your choosing. Leave 1/4″ of head space and wipe the rims with a damp cloth. Add lids and screw into place careful not to over tighten the lid.
9. Place jars in the water bath that should be lightly boiling. Process jam for 10 – 15 minutes.
10. Remove from water bath and place on a wire rack to cool. Lids should pop and seal. Leave to sit for 24 hours and check the lids to ensure sealed.

The Remix Ingredients

• 7 cups ground cherries (also known as husk cherries)
• 3 cups strawberries
• 1 pkg (340 g) frozen cranberries
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• 6 cups of sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp mace or nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 1/4 tsp anise seed ground
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 box (2 x 3 oz pkts) liquid pectin

DIRECTIONS

1. Start a hot water bath for canning & place a small side plate in the freezer.
2. Using a food processor or blender, pulse the strawberries & cranberries until coarsely chopped.
3. Add chopped berries to a large pot with sugar, spices, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine the ingredients.
4. Bring to a full rolling boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Don’t stir unless absolutely necessary.
5. Remove from heat, add liquid pectin packets and stir to fully combine. Return to a boil for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Check gel of the jam by removing a frozen plate from the freezer and smearing a thin layer on the plate. Place back in the freezer for 1 minute. Remove and poke with a finger. If the jam wrinkles then it is at a good gel point. If it is still liquid consistency, continue boiling for another 5 minutes. Repeat until you reach a gel point.
7. Remove jam from heat once gel is achieved. Skim off any foam with a spoon.
8. Ladle the jam into jars of your choosing. Leave 1/4″ of head space and wipe the rims with a damp cloth. Add lids and screw into place careful not to over tighten the lid.
9. Place jars in the water bath that should be lightly boiling. Process jam for 10 – 15 minutes.
10. Remove from water bath and place on a wire rack to cool. Lids should pop and seal. Leave to sit for 24 hours and check the lids to ensure sealed.

Chit Chat

The original recipe that I have added here is almost the same as what you will find if you look up Christmas Jam recipes. The biggest difference is that I add lemon zest & juice and lower the amount of sugar. The actual original recipe calls for 10 cups of sugar, which is almost 1 cup of sugar per jar! That is way too much in my opinion. So I decided to try it out with less sugar when I first made this last year and it was perfect. It set beautifully and had a great taste with plenty of sweetness.

I had made some ground cherry jam earlier this year…with a few hiccups in learning to use those berries. The flavour was divine, and I knew it would go well with the Christmas jam, so I decided to give it a whirl. Son of a Nutcracker! That jam was deeeee-licious!

I know the point of making these is to share, but I may have to be a bit grinchy and try to hoard it all to myself before realizing the joy that I can give friends and family by sharing.

I know ground cherry is not necessarily an easy thing to find. The best bet is a local farmers market or perhaps a specialty produce store. They are obscenely easy to grow and harvest. You literally wait for the berries to drop to the ground, then pick them all up. They are this beautiful golden colour and look similar to a miniature tomatillo. They are sweet to eat on their own, though I do prefer them in jam. I will also have to try some pies and cakes with them next year.

Anyways, enjoy. I’m going to go grab a spoon and eat a jar!