Hedgerow Jelly
Season: September to October. The months of September and October allow us to reap the berried treasure of the hedgerows–a seasonal activity that is not without its dangers, as many wild fruits are guarded by all sorts of thorns, prickles, and entangling stems. However, with a little common sense and determination you should be able to overcome these country hurdles, and the basketful of fruit you bring home will be a just reward. At the heart of all the best hedgerow jellies is the crab apple (Malus species). The pectin in this often scarred and scabby pomaceous fruit lends the setting power that many hedgerow berries lack. Crab apples produce a stunning pink jelly when used on their own, too. For this recipe, you can use crab apples, rosehips, hawthorn berries, blackberries, elderberries, or rowanberries (mountain ash berries). Usually, I go for about 50 percent crab apples with a combination of two or three different berries. If I’ve gathered rosehips or rowanberries, however, I prefer to use them on their own, blended only with crab apple (see the variations on p. 70).
Recipe information
Yield
makes about six 8-ounce jars
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Pick over your fruit, removing the stems and leafy bits and rinsing the berries if necessary. Don’t peel or core the apples (the peel and core are excellent sources of pectin); just chop them coarsely. Place all of the prepared fruit in a saucepan with 5 cups of water. Bring gently to a simmer, and simmer until the fruit is soft and pulpy. Remove from the heat.
Step 2
Have ready a jelly strainer bag or piece of cheesecloth (see p. 33) and turn the contents of the pan into it. Leave to drip overnight. The jelly will turn cloudy if you squeeze the juice through, so just let it drip at its own pace.
Step 3
The next day, measure the juice – you will probably have about 5 cups, though this will depend on the berries used. For every cup of juice, allow 1 cup of sugar. Put the juice into a large pan and bring slowly to a boil. Add the sugar as it just comes to a boil and keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Then boil rapidly, without stirring, for 9 to 10 minutes until the setting point is reached (see p. 41). Skim the jelly and pot and seal as quickly as possible (see pp. 21–22). Use within 1 year.
VARIATIONS
Step 4
These are some of my favorite takes on the hedgerow jelly idea. In each case, follow the hedgerow jelly method and quantities; i.e., always use 1 cup of sugar for each cup of strained fruit juice.
Spicy crab apple jelly
Step 5
Use crab apples alone and add a few cloves and a couple of cinnamon sticks when the fruit is being cooked. This all-time classic hedgerow jelly is equally at home on thinly sliced hot buttered toast or as an accompaniment to succulent cold roast pork or turkey.
Rosehip and apple jelly
Step 6
Use 1 pound, 2 ounces of rosehips, first chopped in a food processor, and 3 pounds, 6 ounces of crab or cooking apples. Rosehips from the wild rose or dog rose seem to have a better flavor than those from cultivated roses. However, some garden varieties of rose also produce cookable hips – notably Rosa rugosa. If you want to harvest rosehips from your garden, do not deadhead your roses. Excellent with roast pork.
Rowan jelly
Step 7
Use 2 1/4 pounds of rowanberries (mountain ash berries) and 2 1/4 pounds of crab apples. Add the juice of 1 lemon before adding the sugar. For a really aromatic jelly, add a bunch of sage or thyme when the fruit is softening. Rowan jelly is lovely served with game.
Blackberry and apple jelly
Step 8
Use 2 1/4 pounds of blackberries and 2 1/4 pounds of apples. This is a nostalgic teatime treat for me, as I remember how good my grandmother’s blackberry and apple jelly always tasted on wafer-thin slices of buttered bread.
P.S.
Step 9
Hedgerow jelly, or any other well-colored jelly, can be used as a natural
Step 10
coloring for glacé icing. Just a teaspoonful or two will be sufficient to give your icing a wickedly deep hue that will be sure to liven up your cakes.
