I’m once again at my summer haunt near Sleeping Bear. Putney Farm, a huge and tremendous u-pick berry farm with a panoramic view, is a (hilly!) bike ride away. They grow a lot of off-the-beaten-path berries – like gooseberries, which happen to be at the height of their season right now. Putney grows both red and green gooseberries; I found the red ones to be more appealing, but what do I know? The farmer at Putney’s says they taste like SweeTarts, and I see where he’s coming from. They do have a candy-like quality. They’re in the same family as currants; I think that goes a long way toward describing their hard-to-put-your-finger-on-it taste. Their aroma has a spice quality to it, and their flavor seems to have something in common with a sauvignon blanc. I would’ve been all too happy to eat the berries I brought home out of hand; they’re delicious. But I’d never made jam before, and I’d heard that gooseberry jam is an easy one to start with.
Ingredients for about 2½ cups of jam:
3 level cups gooseberries, topped and tailed[a]
Juice of ½ lemon (optional)
¼ cup water[b]
1½-3 cups sugar[c]
How to do it:
- Put the gooseberries, (lemon juice), and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the fruit is very soft, 10 minutes, stirring at the half-way-through point. Meanwhile, put a saucer or small plate in the freezer.
- Add the sugar and stir over a gentle heat,[d] uncovered, until the sugar is completely dissolved (which only takes a minute or so). Once you can’t see any grains of sugar, raise the heat and boil hard for 10-20 minutes, skimming the surface when necessary[e] and stirring now and again. The closer you get to the end time, the more constantly you need to stir. You’ll feel the jam thicken as it nears readiness.
- Spoon a little jam onto the frozen saucer, return it to the freezer for one minute, and then run your finger though it to check the consistency. If it’s too thin, boil for another 2-5 minutes.[f] Repeat this step until you get it right. It should be thick and jammy – not runny.
- Let the jam cool, and then store it in the fridge. If, once it’s thoroughly chilled, you find that it’s too thick, beat in a tablespoon of water.
Notes:
- Some people remove the gooseberry’s stem and tail before eating it raw. That’s not how it was introduced to me, and even now that I’ve heard about it, I still eat them as-is. However, you don’t want the stems or tails in the jam. The easiest way to remove them is to just pinch them off with your fingers.
- The purpose of the water is to prevent the berries from scotching before they break down. You could use more than what I’ve recommended; if you do, it will simply take longer to boil the jam.
- The amount of sugar is a matter of taste. I’ve seen recipes calling for half as much sugar as berries (by volume), but most call for equal amounts. My opinion is that two parts sugar to three parts berries is sweet beyond question. I feel greater interest lies in exploring the lower end of the sugar amount.
- It’s important that the heat is low when you initially add the sugar, otherwise the sugar could crystallize. Once the sugar’s fully dissolved, you can raise the heat without worry.
- As the jam boils, it foams at the top. In the center of the pan, this foam will take on a solid quality. This is what you want to skim away.
- You have to test the jam by doneness, and not time – even if you’ve made this once and you’re making it again – because the pectin content of the berries will differ with variety, size, and season.
Important note: this jam will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks. It can be canned for long-term, room-temperature storage, but this post does not include canning instructions. Gooseberries are naturally high in pectin. I have seen some recipes that call for added pectin, but most don’t, and I can’t imagine why they would.
Picking gooseberries is going to become a summer tradition for me. I already have ideas for upcoming gooseberry jams:
- add the juice and perhaps also the finely chopped rind of 2 oranges
- add rhubarb
- add vanilla
Gooseberry Jam
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything.
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I’ve seen gooseberries at our local market and at the Farmer’s Market, both red and white. I’ve never known what to do with them! So thanks for this recipe! Going to give it a try when I see those lovely berries!
Laura recently posted…Turkey Burgers with Special Sauce
Cool! Well, try just eating one or two – they’re great. But the jam was super easy and really tasty.
Cool!
Just bought a kilo from ALDI…well, they tasted good, esp. the red one, but not as good as how I remember them…your homemade jam turned out really great, Jeff.
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Thanks, Angie. Of course I would’ve guessed that, with your frequent use of interesting and unusual ingredients, that you’d be familiar with gooseberries!
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Awesome! I’m always secretly jealous when you talk about your cabin. And now that I know there is a u-pick farm down the hilly road, it makes me even more jealous. I love a good cabin! I also happen to love jam. To be fair, I’ve never actually seen gooseberries around here. I’ll have to keep an eye out for ’em though. Maybe I’ll follow the flock of geese that live down the road from me…they’re sure to end up at a gooseberry patch eventually, right? Enjoy the vacay, Jeff!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
Yes that is a tried and true method of finding gooseberries! In truth, though, I’d never seen them before, either.
I really should remember to make jams more often. So easy to make and so much better than the stuff you can buy in stores! And you can adjust the sweetness to suit your own taste.
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Right!
I wish you’d shown what gooseberries look like! I don’t remember ever seeing them before. The the jam looks beautiful!
Mimi recently posted…Frozen Peach Bellini
D’oh! That would’ve been a brilliant idea! I’ll have to fix that.
I’ve only had green gooseberries. Didn’t even know red ones existed! Love gooseberry pie. Gotta try jam, too. Thanks!
John / Kitchen Riffs recently posted…A Farewell to Hemingway Cocktail
Well, I didn’t know that gooseberry pie existed! Thanks for mentioning it!
We have green gooseberries growing in the back garden, but we don’t see the red ones. Green or red they make a wonderfully tart jam.
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How awesome to have them growing in your yard!
What a great resource to have with your near-by U-pick farm! I’ve gone to a U-pick strawberry farm before, but not a gooseberry one. How about a gooseberry pie? Yum!
I hadn’t heard of gooseberry pie until John mentioned it in his comment. I’ll have to give it a try!
how wonderful to make jam jeff. so very satisfying isn’t it? i’ve not seen nor heard of red gooseberries before, only green ones. i reckon the red ones are prettier! i once made jaboticaba jam which turned to concrete almost. there is so much pectin in their dark skins… have fun. cheers sherry
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Jaboticaba jam? I’ll have to look that up!
Gooseberries are so pretty. I’ve never worked with them but have tasted a similar jam a friend made, and it was delicious. So I’m happy to have your recipe and I’ll give it a go. Lovely on that toast. Just need my coffee to go with it for a delightful breakfast. 🙂 ~Valentina
Yes to that cup of coffee!
I think I’ve had gooseberries in France — I didn’t know anyone grew them in Michigan. I think they were prohibited at one time because they harbored a pest or disease that endangered other crops. So they are vastly unfamiliar. The jam sounds good.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
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That’s very interesting. That would explain why I have always thought of them as European.
Do I get to be the eleven-hundredth person to say, “what the heck are gooseberries and where do I get them so I can make this jam?” GREG
Yes!
I have always thought gooseberries were popular in the UK! I was probably wrong… Gooseberries bring back childhood memories… my both grandmothers (and almost everyone who had a garden) had their own gooseberries and currants (sometimes the three varieties), so I always ate tons of them. I remember seeing red gooseberries for the first time, it was a novelty but I don’t remember the taste difference. I still love gooseberries, but have to buy them now (and they are usually too ripe and two sweet!). I think I’ve never seen or heard of a gooseberry jam, so your jar looks not only delicious but also fascinating! I must try doing a small portion one day just to see how it tastes.
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They’re not popular in the U.S. – at least not any part of it which with I’m familiar. I was very surprised to come across them. I agree with you that they are quite sweet – almost candy-like.
I don’t know why (in spite of the cups…) I thought you lived in the UK! I think black currants are even forbidden in certain states ! (I love them even more!).
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I’ve always wanted to live in the UK! Except now, it seems like about the only place in the world crazier than the United States!
My brother is both the gardener and jam maker in our family Jeff. I’ve passed your recipe his way in the hope he makes some of your delicious homemade goosebury jam (with his home grown gooseberries) for me with his crop! Ha ha!
I hope he does!
I always make homemade jam, Jeff, and your gooseberry jam looks so tasty! My last one was raspberry, which is my favorite, but Christmas Jam is another favorite.
Thank you, Kitty!
I have never had gooseberry, but I am sure it is delicious. There are so many wonderful berries. We used to pick blackberries every summer. I would love if you shared your post at “Love Your Creativity.”
Jeff, this gooseberry jam sounds and looks wonderful! So lucky to have a farm nearby. I’ll have to look for some. Love the sweet – tart flavor!
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Thanks, Kelly!
Greetings,
I have a large, mature, green gooseberry bush that is extra-heavily weighed down with berries that are just a day or two from being ready to be picked. I haven’t done anything with them in past years other than eating an occasional handful and leaving the rest to the birds. I decided that this year I will make jam using your recipe.
I am intrigued with your suggestion of using vanilla flavoring. I am wondering if you have tried this approach yet, and if so, how it turned out, and how much vanilla you recommend adding to the recipe.
Many Thanks
John C.
Unfortunately, the farm that was growing the gooseberries cut down all the bushes! I guess they didn’t sell like they hoped? I don’t know. And now I have no idea where to get them. Had I tried it, I would’ve started with two teaspoons of vanilla per batch.
Thanks for your reply.
I made a double batch of jam last night. I used 2 tablespoons of vanilla, minimal sugar so it is pleasantly tart, and being an East coast Canadian, I was compelled to add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup because it is good in everything. Had some on toast for breakfast today and I can honestly say, it was very good.
Awesome! I love the maple syrup idea!
I am fond of homemade jam & pickle, our mother used to make!
Thank you!