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Gooseberry jelly made from wild fruit

Food safety starts with cleaning!

Wash hands for 20 seconds

  • Wet hands under hot running water. Add lots of soap.
  • Rub and wash back of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails for 20 seconds.
  • Rinse well under running water.
  • Dry with paper towels.
  • Use paper to turn off the water faucet.

Clean and sanitize sink and counter tops

  • Wash counter tops and prep sinks with hot soapy water.
  • Fill squirt bottle with 1 quart water. Add 1 teaspoon of unscented regular chlorine bleach or ¾ unscented ultra (6% sodium hypochlorite) chlorine bleach. Or use commercially prepared cleaner and follow directions on label.
  • Spray counter tops and sink with bleach solution. Let air dry.
  • Wash hands.

Clean as you go

  • Wash dishes, utensils, cutting boards, etc. in hot soapy water.
  • Let air dry.
gooseberry jelly

Gooseberry jelly recipe

Jelly is made from fruit juice and sugar. A gel structure will be achieved only if the mixture contains sufficient pectin. Often commercial pectin will be added to obtain this desired structure. Extraction of juice from the fruit is the first step in the preparation of fruit jelly.

Steps for extracting juice

  • Wash the fruit in cool running water.
  • Crush the gooseberries and add 1/4 cup water for each pound of fruit.
  • Bring to a boil in a covered stainless steel or enamel kettle and then simmer for 5-10 minutes.
  • Cool and strain through cheesecloth or a damp jelly bag.
  • Most fruit gives 1 to 1-1/3 cups juice per pound of fruit.

Ingredients 

  • 2 1/2 cups juice from green gooseberries
  • 2 1/2 cups juice from ripe (red-purple) gooseberries
  • 5 cups sugar

Procedure

  1. Measure juice, add sugar and stir well.
  2. Boil over high heat until jelly sheets from a metal spoon or to 220-222 degrees F.
  3. Remove from heat; skim off foam.
  4. Pour jelly into hot, sterilized half-pint or pint jars to 1/4 inch of top. Seal with two-piece canning lids.
  5. Process in a boiling water bath. The time in the boiling water bath varies by elevation. For Minnesota, it is 5 minutes for half or quarter pints and 10 minutes for pint jars.

Isabel D. Wolf and William Schafer

Reviewed in 2021

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