Superior Barberry Jelly, and Marmalade
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Strip the barberries from the stems and wash them in spring water.
Drain and bruise the barberries slightly.
Place the barberries in a clean stone jar with just enough water to cover the bottom.
Put the jar in a pan of water and steam the fruit until tender, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Make the jelly
Pour off the clear juice.
Strain the juice.
Weigh the juice.
Boil the juice quickly for 5 to 7 minutes with 18 ounces of sugar for every pound of juice.
Make the marmalade
For the marmalade, rub the barberries through a sieve with a wooden spoon.
Boil the marmalade quickly for the same time with the same amount of sugar.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Barberries
- Provide the tart fruit flavour and the natural pectin that lets the jelly and marmalade set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the preserve and, with boiling, helps it set and keep.
The step that matters
Boil the juice quickly for 5 to 7 minutes. Brief, rapid boiling concentrates the juice and sugar so the pectin can gel. Boiling too long can darken the colour and dull the flavour, while boiling too short may leave the jelly runny.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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