Gooseberry Jam
Description
Homemade preserves keep for a long time. The color of gooseberry jam depends on the color of the berries—from light green to amber and darker. So if that matters to you, of course, you can “adjust” the shade you want. Use firm berries for jam—in other words, not quite ripe. Soft berries we eat or use for wine. Making gooseberry jam is quite labor-intensive, but it’s worth it. The jam turns out not only wonderfully tasty but also very good for you! So, to make gooseberry jam you need to: 1. Wash the gooseberries, remove the stems by trimming them off. Dry on a colander or kitchen towel. 2. Pierce each berry with a toothpick so the skin doesn’t slip off during cooking. 3. Put the berries in a bowl and spray with vodka. Then put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. After that, refrigerate the berries for 10–12 hours or overnight. 4. When the time is up, take out the berries. Make a syrup from sugar and two cups of water. The syrup should be light in color. 5. Add the berries to the syrup, mix very gently or shake. Bring the mixture to a boil and, as soon as bubbles appear, remove from the heat. 6. Let the syrup with berries cool, pour the syrup through a colander, bring it to a boil again, and return the berries. In short, repeat the procedure described in step 5. For high-quality jam, repeat this 2–4 times. 7. The last time, cook the jam for about half an hour until done. Pour the finished gooseberry jam into sterilized jars, then sterilize. The jam is ready! Store the jam in a dark, cool place. Serve at the table or keep it in the pantry.