Black Currant Jam

4.67 from 6 votes

Unique black currant jam made without pectin and so full of flavor!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Preserves/Canning Recipes

Cuisine: German

Servings: small jars

Calories: 559kcal

Author: Adina

Prepare: Rinse the black currants in a sieve. Remove the stems.
Cook: Place sugar and water into a pot. Bring to a boil on medium-low heat. Add berries and lemon juice, bring to a boil again. Cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the jam reaches about 104 degrees Celsius/ 220 degrees Fahrenheit (or 102 degrees Celsius/ 216 degrees Fahrenheit for an altitude of approximately 300 m/ 1000 feet or more). (Note 3).
Jars: Remove what’s left from the foam with a spoon. Transfer the jam to sterilized jars.
Can: For a longer shelf-life, can in a water bath for 10 minutes; it will keep for about 1 year. Or refrigerate the jam; it will keep for at least 4 months.

I prefer to weigh the berries rather than measure them in cups; the black currants growing in my garden don’t have a consistent size, some are what I would call a regular size, but many are very small. And you will be amazed how different the results are if you try to google this gram amount converted into cups; it goes from 2 to 5 cups, which is quite a lot.
You can increase the sugar up to 500 g/ 1.1 lb/ 2 ½ cups if you wish. However, I don’t recommend it unless you have a very sweet tooth. I love the slightly bitter tartness of the black currants.
If you cook it for about 10 minutes, the jam will have a runnier consistency. If you cook it for about 15 minutes, it will be thicker, like mine in the pictures. The cooking time depends on the pan's width; the wider the pot, the sooner the jam will be ready.
Altitude and gel point: