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Mahonia Jelly
Mahonia Jelly is a modern British recipe (based on an American original) for a classic method of making a cordial from foraged Mahonia (Oregon grape) fruit. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Mahonia Jelly.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
25 minutes
Total Time:
45 minutes
Additional Time:
(+over-night draining)
Makes:
4 jars
Rating: 
Tags : British Recipes
The seeds in mahonia fruit are quite large, so it's better to use them to prepare a jelly rather than a jam. Note that Mahonia fruit are full of pectin so this jelly will set. It's also good to mix some Mahonia juice with other jams and jellies to help them set.
Ingredients:
2kg of Mahonia berries, picked when dark blue and juicy
1.2l of water
Caster sugar, as much as you need (used at a ratio of 450g per 600ml of extracted juice)
Method:
Wash 4 large jam jars (or 6 smaller ones) and put them on a baking tray upset down. Set the oven to around 100°C and leave the jars to warm and sterilize.
Begin by washing 4 large screw-top glass bottles and put them on a baking tray upset down. Set the oven to around 100°C and leave the jars to warm and sterilize.
Wash the Mahonia berries and place them in a large soup pot. Pour over the water and bring to a boil. Keep boiling for 10 minutes, or until all the fruit is swollen and burst open.
Take a potato masher and mash the berries to a pulp. Mahonia berries have large pips in the middle so this mixture needs to be sieved to remove them. Take off the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
In the meantime, set a jelly bag over a large bowl. Pour in the Mahonia berry mixture and allow to drain over night. Do not be tempted to squeeze the mixture, or your jelly will become cloudy.
The following morning, measure the volume of juice you've extracted and weigh out 450g of caster sugar per 600ml of juice. Now transfer the juice to a pan and add in the sugar you've just measured. Also put a small side plate or similar in the fridge to chill.
Slowly bring it to the boil and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir constantly during this time, making sure the sugar dissolves completely. Now bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
Now bring back to a boil and boil fast and hard for another 10 minutes. Now test the jelly for setting. Remove the plate you put in the fridge earlier. Spoon a teaspoon of the jam onto the plate and leave it for a second then tilt the plate. If the jam has reached its setting point, the jam will run a little but remain mostly in a blob.
Also if you run a finger through the jam on the plate you should clearly see a line through the jam that doesn’t fill in. If so, it’s time to pot up.
Leave the jelly to cool slightly as you take the hot jars from the oven and turn right way up. I think its easiest to use a ladle to spoon the hot jelly mix into the hot jars. Clean the tops of the jars and seal well.
Set aside to cool then label the jars. Store in a cool cupboard.
