4 ingredient jelly made from hawthorn berries – simple, delicious and affordable.
The common hawthorn, or Crataegus monogyna, is an edible plant, native to Britain and found across Europe and North America.
Once pollinated, the flowers develop into red berries known as ‘haws’ in autumn and winter.
Hawberries are best enjoyed cooked and can be used in a variety of recipes such as ketchup, chutney and jellies.
In this recipe, we’ll be using hawberries to make a deliciously sweet jelly.
So, if you stumble upon some hawthorn trees, why not make a batch of this delicious jelly – it is simple, delicious and affordable.
Hawberry Jelly
4 ingredient jelly made from hawthorn berries - simple, delicious and affordable.
Equipment
- Strainer
- Muslin cloth or cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 400 g Hawberries
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 cups Water
- 1/2 Lemon or 1.5 tbps lemon juice
Instructions
- Clean and prepare your freshly foraged hawberries by separating them from the stems, before washing them with water and baking soda.
- In a pot, cover the hawberries with 2 cups of water (if you’ve picked more or less hawberries, for every 400g, place 2 cups of water).
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Once cooked, use a masher to break up the berries even further.
- Strain the berries by placing a sieve over a bowl and lining it with cheesecloth - pour the berries into the lined sieve and leave to strain for a few hours (or once no more liquid drips). Discard the pulp and seeds. Tip - for a clear jelly, do not squeeze the contents of the cloth.
- Place the hawberry juice into a pot with sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil for 5 mins, until set. (if working with a larger batch, boil for 10 mins)
- Pour the jelly into a clean jar and let cool at room temperature before placing in the fridge to store.
Notes
- Add 1/2 lemon for every 400g of berries to prevent crystallization. The lemon also helps jelly become more well balanced - the citrus notes should balance out the sweet.
- If storing in a glass jar, be sure to sterilise it by pre-heating the jar with boiling water before pouring in the jelly.
- Tip - if you over or under cook your jelly, crystallisation may occur. But don't worry! All you have to do is top it up with a little water and lemon juice before placing it into the microwave at 30 sec intervals. Stir, then repeat until smooth. Once a homogeneous texture has been reached, place the jelly in a new jar and let set.