Jostaberry Jam

What’s a Jostaberry? I didn’t know either. The Balsam Farms guy said it was like a gooseberry, which was information enough for me to make this sweet-tart Jostaberry Jam recipe.

My extensive research (the first Wiki page that popped up) revealed the Jostaberry is another modern miracle of German genetic sciences.

- The Jostaberry is a hybrid of black currant, American coastal black gooseberry and European gooseberry, and tastes like a, well, halfway between black currant (sweet) and gooseberry (tart).

- The name Jostaberry combines the German words for blackcurrant (Johannisbeere) and gooseberry (Stachelbeere). 

- Who remembers 1977? That’s when Jostas first became available to the public.

- Their relative rarity is due to labor-intensive hand picking only and propagation by cuttings rather than seed. Plus birds love them.

- On the bright side, the plant is thornless.

Who else would tell you these things?

JOSTABERRY JAM
Recipe
Following The Kitchn’s lead in their post on gooseberries, Jostaberries are also packed with pectin. Because they’re sweeter I did a 2-to-1 fruit/sugar ratio, vs. gooseberries’ 2 to 1 1/2 fruit/sugar formula.

1 1/2 lbs. ripe Jostaberries
1/2 c. water
12 oz. sugar

Wash the berries and pick over. Nip off both ends of the berries — one end has a shriveled remnant of blossom, the other has the stem. Both must go!

Stew the berries in the water for 15 minutes over med-low heat.  Meanwhile heat the sugar in a 200° oven — this will hasten the cooking when the sugar is added.

After 15 minutes the fruit should be soft and mushy.  Use a wooden spoon to break it down further if needed.

Add the hot sugar and stir until dissolved. Turn heat up to medium-high, stirring all the while. When it comes to a full-on boil that will not stop, cook, stirring, for 6 minutes.

Pour into sterilized 1/2 pint jam jars. Seal and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Makes 3 1/2 pint jars.

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