Red Currant Jelly

I was up at the cottage, and it was pretty cool and cloudy out, it has been a funny summer weather wise.

I had picked about a litre (3 1/2 cups) of red currants at the farm, so decided that it was a good day to make jelly. The Joy of Cooking says that no pectin is needed for currants, since they have their own. So, I put them in a pot, with a tiny bit of water - Joy of Cooking says that you don't have to remove the stems.

Then I mashed them up a bit with a potato masher and boiled them down for 10-15 minutes to get out the juice. And then just used a regular old strainer instead of a cheese cloth which cut down on the mess. It makes a less clear jelly, but so what. I pressed through all of the juice, and had 2 cups, to which I added 2 cups of sugar, and boiled for 30 minutes. That's what Joy says, 3/4 to 1 cup of regular granulated sugar per cup of juice.

The jelly is ready when you can spoon a little puddle onto a plate and put it in the freezer, and after 2-3 minutes it is gelled when you run a finger through. This is actually called the freezer test. Like I said- took about 30 minutes of boiling on medium high, lid off.

Then I poured them into the jars that I could find, and they set in the fridge. Tart, tasty and no pectin necessary. Can keep in the fridge for a few months.