Gooseberry Jam

Gooseberry is a vital source of Vitamin- C and the easiest and sweetest way to get this nutrition is by making jam out of it. You can preserve it  for a long time and the children will love this sweet n sour jam which you can spread on your toast, chapathis  and other home made bread.

The other advantage is that you don’t need to use any preservative as gooseberries are naturally high in pectin ! The process is the same as a regular fruit jam where you simply use an equal quantity of gooseberries and granulated sugar.

Gooseberry  Jam English style

Ingredients 

• 1 kg gooseberries

• 1kg granulated sugar 

• 500ml water

Method

1.Wash, trim  and wipe the gooseberries clean  and put them in a heavy-bottomed pot or pan with the 500 ml water. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 1 minute. 

2.Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, till gooseberries are soft. 

3.You can remove the seeds by crushing the paste and pushing it through a colander/seive with big holes

4.Put the crushed gooseberry back in the pan and add the sugar, then bring back to a boil for another 10 minutes.

5.Remove pan from heat, and test to see if the jam has set. 

6.Tip : Place a plate or saucer in the freezer before you start making the jam. Take the plate from the freezer and drop a bit of jam onto the cold plate. After a few seconds push the jam with your finger or spoon. If the surface of the jam wrinkles and somewhat holds its shape, it has reached setting point and is ready. If the jam slides across the plate and seems very liquid, then it needs to be boiled for another few minutes, at which point you need to test the jam again.

7.Skim off any scum from the top of the jam and place the hot jam in sterilized  pretty jars and store for the coming summer.

Allow it to cool  at room temperature, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

Gooseberry  Jam Indian Style

The process is the same except that we use spices to give more fragrance to the jam.

Ingredients

• Gooseberry (amla) - 500 gms. 

• Sugar - 500 gms. 

• Cardamom - 3-4 pods

• Cinnamon  2-3 sticks ( small)

Method 

1.Follow the same steps from 1 to 4 as given above 

2.Powder the cardamom and cinnamon seeds and keep it ready.

3.After the seeds are removed and the paste iscooled , blend the gooseberries in the mixer and make a paste.

4.Put the gooseberries paste into the pot/pan along with sugar and cook on a medium flame till done and turn off the flame.

5. After you remove the jam from the flame add the ground cardamom and cinnamon powder and  put  it into the jam and stir well.

6. Test the jam if it is set and store in streilised dry glass containers. 

Tip: The same jam can become a sherbet or drink .Simple take a big table spoon of the jam and dilute it with a little water till it dissolves and pour cold water and serve it .If you want more taste just add more of the jam and  it makes a refreshing drink in summer.