The 1st of November marks the start of celebrations in our family, with birthdays and Christmas. November is the time to bake our Christmas fruit cake and make some red currant jelly (ripsgele), perfect for Christmas time. The red berries are a beautiful reminder of summer!

Ingredients

approx. 2 kg red currants (I use frozen berries that I pick in my garden during the summer)

700 – 800 gms sugar

1-2 tbsp pectin

Preparation time

Clean and sanitized mason glass jars with canning (screw-on) lids to store the jelly!!

The evening before you plan to make the jelly, check the red currants for leaves or other impurities and rinse lightly in cold water. Drain out the water and put the red currants in a big cooking pan. Once thawed, heat the berries first 10 minutes on medium heat and then 20 mins on high heat. Leave to cool.

Once cool, pour the berries over in a fine strainer / muslin cloth, placed securely over a cooking pan. For a clear red jelly, do not stir or press the berries. Leave the berries to drip slowly overnight.

Putting it together

Measure the liquid using a liter measure and pour into a cooking pan and start heating the liquid on medium heat.

For every liter of liquid I use 700 gms of sugar and 1 tbsp pectin. If the berries were very ripe when picked, you may need two tbsp of pectin. Measure the sugar and add the pectin to the sugar,

Add the dry ingredients to the liquid, stirring slowly. Once all the sugar is added, lower the heat allow the mixture to cook for 15 mins on low heat, stirring regularly to avoid sticking.

Test the readiness of the jelly and bottle in clean, sanitized glass jars. Cover immediately and allow to cool before labelling and storing in a cool dry place. It is not necessary to store the jelly in the fridge until a bottle has been opened.

Enjoy for Christmas breakfasts on warm toast and butter.