Making Purple Jam From Foraged Hedgerow Fruit

[@auroradawnikins]

Love the jam but a question why is Jenny catching frogs lol

[@AtomicShrimp]

There's an alleyway outdoors, behind the kitchen where frogs can jump in, but they cannot climb out. We have to rescue them and put them back in the garden

[@peterlarwood8331]

i thought it was for your next weird things in a can video @@AtomicShrimp

[@raraavis7782]

I had a bit of a 🤔 moment as well 😅

[@annieclaire2348]

@@AtomicShrimp - good work Jenny and Mike!!! Frogs are always worth rescuing!

[@josephchick3100]

And I was hoping for a unique recipe.

[@Zothaqqua]

There was an episode of Sorry! where the mother got in to bulk buying. One morning there was a huge jar labelled just "Jam" on the table at breakfast. Ronnie Corbett asked what kind of jam it was. "It's got to be some sort of jam. It can't be just jam!" He dips in a finger and licks it. There's a pause, then he says "That's jam."

[@Savoy1984]

That awesome, Sorry also as an amazing title song/intro.

[@MadisonTen]

Sorry! Currently being reshown on one of the obscure Freeview channels. EDIT: Channel That’s TV, Sunday, 8.20pm. 😊

[@AtomicShrimp]

Language Timothy!

[@Savoy1984]

@@AtomicShrimp I literally just this second had jam and crumpets.

[@Zothaqqua]

Sorry father.

[@Shenorai]

The syrupy outcome may also mean that jam would be fantastic on pancakes or crepes!

[@rdefaoite9413]

Adding a squeeze of lemon juice helps activate the pectin and makes for a slightly more set jam. I made elderberry jelly last autumn and thought it was the most exquisite thing I’d ever eaten!! I labelled it “Purple Honey”!

[@fieryvale]

In Texas we have a cactus fruit called prickly pear. In order to make jelly, you must add lemon juice or else the sugar will crystallize.

[@TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

I was thinking that Jam sugar with extra added pectin might have helped.

[@heikesiegl2640]

​@@TheEmbeddedHobbyistyeah thats how i do it too, or i mix. Because not all fruits have lots of pektin in them in their own

[@jakesmith9924]

I loved watching you make jam! Don't judge your runny jam just yet, as a long time jam maker (35+ years), its been my experience that sometimes it can take a couple days-weeks for jam to set up, and if it does stay on the runny side, its wonderful on pancakes or ice cream.

[@AtomicShrimp]

You're absolutely right! - we've been away for a week and today I opened the first of the larger jars of Purple Jam - it's set just perfectly - a really delicate set that wobbles a bit, and just begins to melt on warm toast!

[@ZananoQuinito]

I love how wholesome your videos are. The fact you gave a trypophobia warning when many people dont even acknowledge the phobia was very nice.

[@countesscable]

When making berry jam like this, you will need more pectin to make it set. The stones of the bullace have lots of pectin, and could have been boiled in a little muslin cloth or bag for easy removal. Adding crab apples will also solve it. A good idea is to save your apple cores and skins and put them in the freezer to put in muslin and boil with the jam.

[@moodycowcrafts4862]

I made plum jam once and the seeds mostly floated to the top of the boiling jam and I skimmed them off before putting it in the jars

[@countesscable]

@@moodycowcrafts4862 Yes, I do it like that most of the time.

[@fieryvale]

@@countesscable This is useful for those who are allergic to commercial pectin. Thank you.

[@johanneswerner1140]

Oh, I forgot about that - even though I actually used that with sorbus aucuparia (rognbaer in Norwegian). Bitter and pretty good!

[@edtuckerartist]

Remembers getting a jar of damson jam from a friend, put it in a cupboard and forgot about it, when I got around to opening it it had slightly turned alcoholic as it must have fermented in the jar. Best jam I ever had!

[@kezzmexx2476]

The story of you grandmother leaving the stones and tell you "Watch out for stones!" made my day. Reminds me of how my grandmother used to approach cooking. lit up some memories of her that i am thankful for. Cheers.

[@countesscable]

My Gran used to make Cawl (Welsh Soup) with pieces of lamb neck, and the bones always left in. I hated having to negotiate the bones to get at the lamb!

[@rolfs2165]

It's how one of my grand-aunts would bake cherry cheese cake. She'd just throw in whole cherries, so you'd be spitting stones with each bite of cake.

[@sarahstrong7174]

Remember the old rhyme, tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, rich man, poor man, beggerman, thief? Meant to foretell who girls would marry. We used to say the rhyme & number off plum stones etc from our dessert.

[@dneumet]

My mother would sometimes send me to school with an egg salad sandwich. Mom wasn't particular about peeling the eggs so every other bite of the sandwich included the crunch of some eggshell. Extra calcium, I suppose.

[@lizg5574]

I save all my apple peels when it's jelly making time. The extra pectin is handy, and it doesn't add a lot of taste. I also make jelly just from apple peel, orange peel and lemon rind. It might only make a jar at a time, but it's delicious. (I call it compost jelly as that was where everything was heading!) I've also added fuchsia berries to jelly and they add something special.

[@thecatherd]

That sounds absolutely delightful. I need to try that sometime. :)

[@ianbutler1983]

Hi Mike, I picked up a trick from an old canning book. Put a dinner plate in the fridge. When you think the jam is ready to bottle, put a spoonful on the plate and wait a few seconds. Tilt the plate and you will get an indication of the consistency of the completed jam. This solved my problem of not knowing if I was making a dozen jars of jam or fruity syrup. I enjoy the channel and especially your positive outlook.

[@SheyD78]

Quick question, what can you do if it's too runny? My mum occasionally tries to make marmalade and it usually is, but cooking it longer seems to turn it into toffee.

[@Charky_Creations]

If you want to cheat at this you can always just drop some on an ice cube.

[@rolfs2165]

@@SheyD78 You can get jam sugar, which has added pectin, or just sachets of pectin to add to your jam and make it firmer. Alternatively, you might need to add citric acid so the pectin sets.

[@Aleph-Noll]

not necessarily only longer, but hotter will help. the sugar will set@@SheyD78

[@stevewhitcher6719]

Isnt that the wrinkle test!

[@Lamby24]

“Oh, look - It’s a heart shape” ❤

[@Noam-Bahar]

💜

[@HotelPapa100]

We used to call damson jam "Stäckligomfi", stick jam, because of the rolled up skins, which form little sticks. I never knew about the boiling point cut off. My Mum used to assess the viscosity of the drop running off the wooden spoon. The foamy bit for us was a specialty on the breakfast toast during jam cooking season. As for the sirupy texture: adding a few green apples helps. Berries can be hit and miss concerning pektin content. (or use pektin enriched sugar, of course.)

[@niallash4496]

"No point tidying up until we've finshed making mess" absolutely love that, along with the many others, thank you!

[@angustheterrible3149]

Your enthusiasm for everything you do is absolutely contagious. Just hearing the smile in your voice when you say something is "lovely" or "beautiful" makes me happy. It makes me want to go out and appreciate something like that in my own garden/forest!

[@Alex-kt7em]

Your previous hedgerow jam video years ago is what got me into your videos. I was trying to learn how to make jam from the fruits I was growing and found during the first year of lockdown.

[@ramiroborges7359]

Those plums look an awful lot like a type of plum grown in Portugal that ripens around early June colloquially named "St. Anthony's plum" due to St Anthony's day being celebrated on June 13th. Growing up I'd always pick these as well as dozens of other fruit species right off of the tree and eat them (unwashed). Lovingly refreshing in the early morning before the scorching sun got on them. I could taste them as I watched you cut into those plums and seeing that green colour. The taste was beautiful. Tasted like childhood. Like family.

[@MacDrai8]

A trick i'm using for sterilising jars and lids when making jams/jelly : buy no-rinse sterilising powder from the brewing section. It's food-grade, no taste and no smell and worth so much peace of mind knowing no mould or funky stuff is going to take hold of your preparation.

[@johanneswerner1140]

You fill the jars with stuff that is hotter than 100°C (I do, at least). I'm not really sure much more should be needed. I wash the jars and lids in the sink. The lids then go into a bowl, which I add boiling water and vinegar concentrate. The jars are rinsed with boiling water. Good enough. Dang, now that I think of it, your method sounds like a lot less faff. Thanks for that 😀

[@johanneswerner1140]

Oh, and just turn over the jars, so the hot liquid touches the lids. When it's just setting, turn the glasses back the bottom side down. Otherwise you end up with weird looking jars with a smallish air bubbles at the bottom. Regarding Sirup: heat it, put it on vanilla ice cream. Should be quite nice.

[@1234j]

🎉 great video! The jam set builds up after the initial set, over days and weeks. It's not a straight line curve, obviously. (Back in the 1970's, worked in pectin research lab, making and testing jams and other pectin-content products. )

[@merlinathrawes6191]

When making damson, plum or both jam, I always put the stones back in, inside a muslin cloth - as they also contain loads of extra pectin. Very nice elderberry haul that. Mine were all mouldy in the garden.

[@CherryBlossomPlumtree]

Plum stones seem to follow the same rules as teaspoons in the washing up. 😂

[@kayew5492]

Do you think the socks are in on it? I wear pairs of socks, I wash pairs of socks ... but I still keep losing odd socks. Where do you think they're all going?

[@Onio_Saiyan]

@@kayew5492 Sock dimension. Everyone knows there is a secret portal in your dryer where the chosen socks go.

[@ToddVanObben]

I really love your content! It is the small island of serenity in a hellish world.

[@joshuagraham1800]

Sounds like you are really bad at choosing what kind of content you watch

[@silva7493]

I'd rather offer a useful suggestion than attack you, and I often feel the same way. Sometimes I do find it helpful to shut down the hellish stuff as much as I can for a bit, even if it means I'm not up to date on what's going on in the outside world.. I may just watch a few of my favorite peaceful shows like this, or wildlife videos, or do something else that doesn't involve reading and/or hearing bad news. But you probably know all this already, and you were just letting Mr. Shrimp know how much his video is appreciated.

[@annieclaire2348]

Mike Atomic Shrimp is amazing! So is Jenny and of course so is Eva!

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

The world has been "hellish" since humans started to trash it many thousands of years ago, it's just that these days we are exposed to it 24/7 due to the proliferation of news and social media. I'm not saying to ignore it completely but people need to strike a balance - turn off the TV, stop 'doom scrolling', maybe get outside, do something constructive, read a book, watch a movie, etc.

[@hotelmario510]

@@joshuagraham1800 I mean, judging by his profile, he really doesn't like immigrants. Or women. Or, er. Most people, to be honest.

[@malcolmdarke5299]

My grandmother had damson trees, and made jam with them. The only problem was that she didn't always remember to remove the stones. She also had blackcurrants. Nice to see someone using fruit to make jam with again.

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

Regarding picking Sloes - it's worth mentioning that the vicious thorns of the Blackthorn plant can also cause nasty infections due to the presence of bacteria on the thorns. The thorns are sharp and tough and can even pierce boots (I speak from experience) but the top 1 or 2 millimeters of the tip also has a habit of breaking and lodging in the flesh and it can be extremely difficult to remove. If left there it can cause a bad infection, swelling, joint pain, etc. So when picking sloes be extremely careful, pick slowly and don't be in a hurry - wear some good kevlar lined gloves and thick sleeves (also kevlar lined if possible). An over-reaction? Perhaps, but I've had some blackthorn injuries in my time, as has a friend of mine. A Google search reveals a lot of information.

[@pattheplanter]

That would explain why my grandma got the little grandchildren to help pick the sloes, apart from being able to get in under the bushes. Helped to build our immune systems. Giving a six year old a taste of sloe gin may also be a good preventive against alcholoism - or any interest in alcohol at all.

[@brianartillery]

Even a scratch from one can turn into a nasty, septic wound. I've always healed quickly from cuts and scratches - but not ones from Blackthorn. Following my late father's maxim of 'If it doesn't sting, it's not working', Blackthorn scratches get a good wipe with Hydrogen peroxide solution every time. (as Iodine solution stains).

[@Sean_Shaun_Shawn]

"This level of preservation is probably enough for the 12 months or so it's gonna take me to eat it all." Christ, you're steadfast. I filled a 450g pot with Elderberry jam 2 nights ago and finished the last of it this morning on toast. It's the crack cocaine of the jam world.

[@Ricksdetrix]

Two days ago I wandered up a path in the countryside and found a wonderfully abundant elderberry plant. I recognised them from your videos, even picked one before thinking, nah, probably not a good idea to eat any. Maybe one day I'll know for sure, but my god there were so many berries, it was lovely to see. Actually this year, I've seen so many berries that a lot of them are just going mouldy and rotten.

[@angelanewman5566]

On our way down to Devon this week we did a detour to East Quantoxhead (following one of your videos). Sadly it was high tide so we didn't find any fossils, but I've never seen so many blackberries in the hedgerows.

[@lizreid2449]

Ah! The purple jam! Just watched weird stuff in a can so this answers my curiosity

[@PirateDrive]

Read this in an Orson Welles voice.

[@gillianmeehan3206]

Regarding 'sifting plum jam to find the stones' I find the elusive last few stones by using a potato masher. A few mashing movements usually locates them and then they can be lifted out

[@Luncheon23]

Oh I love the food videos! Thank you Shrimp every video is a positive joy to watch.

[@Auntie_Trev]

When I make plum jam my mum said to put a teaspoon of butter in at the end of boiling to disperse the frothy foam. It tends to work for me. Great video!!

[@bettiebluebelle3396]

Yes, it does work, I do it too!

[@Sean_Shaun_Shawn]

Also temporarily gives off an amazing smell of fruity toffee.

[@eveclark1541]

Just Brilliant! I'm waiting to have time later this week to do the same. We have a huge elderberry tree in our garden it's bending under the strain of the berries. I've run out of space to freeze any more. I got 18 kg of blackberries off the wild bush that grows in the corner of my garden. It's a bumper year for both. On the other hand, bullaces and damsons aren't doing well at all, but I have enough for a small batch. I can't wait. We call it forage jam. I add one or two crab apples to help the set.

[@pain0707]

Honestly one of the best youtube channels I've came across in years . The randomness ( i should say variety ) of the content is absolutely amazing . Cheers from Bulgaria and thank you for the entertainment !

[@AgrestisAnima]

"The oven clock flickers on camera" I have no problem with that, but it's really considerate of you, really nice : )

[@TheSarah2412]

My nan also used to leave the stones in damson jam, would end breakfast with a pile of stones one the plate. Haven't had a damson jam as good since, fresh cut bread, thick butter and jam

[@edtuckerartist]

My mother used to put the fruit pulp into a linen bag or clean net curtain, hang over a bowl from the cupboard handle above the worktop then cover the whole thing with a plastic bag and leave overnight. Also if the jam need not be clear she would squeeze the bag to get more of the juice out.

[@clawscrab3497]

Mouli's get "jammed" up...not sure if that was a joke or a complete coincidence, but I like it :D

[@annieclaire2348]

Delicious PURPLE FRUIT SAUCE! No problems with it being less firmly set. I imagine it would be delicious as a sauce on all sorts of foods, including ice-cream! Lovely! Like you, I enjoy the texture and chew of the skins of plums in jam! If wanting to remove the plum seed you can purchase a spider-web strainer - available at Asian supplies stores or from Amazon. There are a number of different sizes and they allow the skins to go through but catch the plum seeds. Many years ago, my darling Dad made one for my Mum as we had a number of plum trees - blood plums, cherry plums, greengage plums and prunes are the ones I remember - so she made a lot of jam. Sadly I have no idea where it ended up! Mum probably gave it away when she moved and no longer had plum trees to harvest every year.

[@raraavis7782]

You know, I always wondered, what those weird looking strainers were for!

[@annieclaire2348]

@@raraavis7782 Usually used for lifting deep fried foods out of the oil but work well for jam! There are two sorts 0 one is an open weave mesh the other is just wires wound around and around the cup shaped frame wires so long narrow gaps like a spider web.

[@Roamor1]

I save myself a lot of time putting the fruit in a blender and then sieve them. If you swirl the sieve around, the seeds will create a ball which acts sort of like a spoon. Thanks for your video.

[@pattheplanter]

Lowest spin setting?

[@Roamor1]

​@@pattheplanterMy blender does not have speeds, but I use the "whisking" setting. Dont think it would matter much.

[@CatsT.M]

The hedgerw jam video is one of your videos I have remembered the most of for some reason. Nice to see another.

[@CatsT.M]

Poorly written because it was around 2AM but I genuinely do enjoy the original video.

[@lloydevans2900]

Another option for removing seeds from blackberries and elderberries is using a "potato ricer" - a device which looks like an oversized garlic press. You can get much more of a compression force on the fruit this way than you can with a sieve and spoon. It also helps if you partially cook the fruit first - just boiling them with a small amount of water for about 10 minutes. Or put it in the freezer until it freezes completely, and then thaw it back out - soft fruit tend to disintegrate after this treatment. Last year I made a big batch of strawberry jam because the quality of the British grown strawberries was extraordinarily good. I also did the "seedless jam" method by pre-cooking the strawberries and removing the seeds first, so I was starting with only juice and pulp. I did add extra pectin - you can buy bottles of "Certo" brand pectin concentrate from the home-baking section in supermarkets, which is a mostly flavourless liquid extract of pectin from apple pulp, a by-product of apple juice manufacture. Anyway, the strawberries last year were so unusually sweet that I actually used about half the amount of sugar the jam recipe specified, and even then it was still more than sweet enough. I made enough strawberry jam to give all of my neighbours a couple of jars each for Christmas, and everyone loved it. The only complaints I got were about the colour, since it wasn't bright red like commercial strawberry jam is, more like halfway between red and brown. But that was a consequence of not adding any extra colouring - the cooking process tends to destroy some of the natural colour of strawberries and other soft fruits.

[@tonyhughes1958able]

I made Damson Jam this week and I cooked it for at least 25 minutes after it came up to a rolling boil, before it passed the wrinkle test. A cold saucer from the freezer half a spoon full of jam on it allow to cool for 60-90 seconds then push a finger through it, if it wrinkles and doesn't fill the gap the jams ready.

[@thecatherd]

Curious, have you ever tried rosehip jam? It's been an annual tradition for my mother, she makes a ton of it every year and I used to leave with a jar whenever I visit before customs got tighter about fruit products. She is in Denmark but when she lived here in the UK they were quite prolific as well. Figured it may be up your alley!

[@rickyspanish492]

My mom scrapes that foam off the top, and that's what we'd always have right away with toast while the rest was jarred and had to seal. That was such a wonderful color it made!

[@KyleRDent]

I highly recommend (if you didn't) wiping a couple of slices of bread around the pan before washing it. Lovely snack and means less waste. Also works with other bakery products if they're not too crumbly.

[@WellWoopdidoo]

I lived in a deer park for a while as a kid, and we had an old Shropshire Prune Damson tree growing in the yard. The fruit was wonderful, and I used to make hedgerow jams with my dad a few times a year. He would always leave the damson stones in. They were pointy little things.

[@TheFrugalMombot]

Per US food preservation guidelines, you only need to water bath can for preservation of jam. You don’t need to pressure can high acid foods. :) So just a good deep pot with a glass lid filled with water just over the lids and boil usually for about 10 minutes for sea level to 1000 feet. We also have steam canners here, which use less water and are just as sterile, but you’d have to read the directions as it is a bit different. I just got my first steam canner and haven’t used it yet, but excited to try it out after heading to the farmers market. We didn’t have a bountiful harvest this year, as it has been over 100 degrees fahrenheit without rain for months now and anything I did grow got eaten by the thirsty and hungry squirrels. So, farmers market it is. For those curious, I use the University of Georgia Agriculture Extension office for all of my home preservation guidelines. It’s an excellent resource. Not sure if I can leave links here, but it’s easy to find on Google.

[@raraavis7782]

I never knew, bitterness was associated with alkalinity. I always thought, it was stuff the plants produce, to keep animals from eating them. Although both things aren't mutually exclusive, of course, haha. Don't know, how to phrase this better, I only just got up 🙂. Enjoy your jam!

[@raraavis7782]

@@lebosshog Yeah, it's a wide and not anywhere fully explored topic. Why are things that are bitter as a deterrent, sometimes good for us in small doses? Green vegetables, spices, herbs...all often have a bitter component. While in other cases, of course, one does well to heed the warning. We're weird creatures, when it comes to food, anyway. There are few animals, that can thrive on such a wide variety of different foods.

[@MusicRelatedCandy]

Looks good. In fact, it looks like it would be good in a cheesecake!

[@reneereb6499]

From the States, my grandmother had a plum tree that grew fruit similar to the ones you have. Watching this reminded me of her jam. Thanks Mike 😊

[@Colganology]

Mmmm purple. I make enough hedgerow jelly every autumn to last most of the following year. And it's GOOD berry year. Balckberries, haws, elderberries, sloes, rowans, pheasant berries ... plus damsons, bullus and lots of crab apples for the pectin. Jam heaven :) Have you tried making 'chocolate' with linden seeds? It's not bad (but it ain't cadbury's)!

[@Zodliness]

This video reawakened old fold memories of the days my Aunt would have me foraging for berries and rhubarb from her garden, for various jams, pies and crumbles. Thanks for sharing your recipe. 👍

[@adamanti]

i am watching this while making some rosehip jam. It is quite nice to have some kind of company while the rest of the house sleeps in. just wanted to leave a thank you. ❤

[@keystohellanddeath]

The first shot looks so much like the old house! I thought I was going crazy for a second haha. Thanks for the content as always!

[@paadoxal]

really excited to watch this:) i love making mixed fruit jam

[@thebigbusker4580]

You could try and get out that extra leftover juice from the pulp using a cheesecloth

[@sarahcarter1352]

Old trick I use is pop a saucer in the fridge when you think the jam is done pop some on the saucer wait a minute draw your finger through if it wrinkles its set hope this ok to post and it helps.

[@tenthz]

I loved the story about your grandmother's method for jam. I definitely would have gotten along with her in the kitchen. I tend to do the same sort of thing where I think - "is the effort to do this now worth it?". Having to mind the stones when eating is less effort than standing there and doing all that cutting, especially if the stones were not loose.

[@victorwidell9751]

I cooked swedish lingonberry jag the other week. Lingon is pretty close to cranberry, but slightly bitter. It is a traditional condiment that we eat with a ton of swedish dishes. The jam turned out very loose at first, so I opened all jars and re-boiled the jam 15 min. That did the trick. I put 1 ml of sodium benzoate in each 3 l pot of jam. It should help some to keep it from spoiling. I have never had issues, even with jars stored 2 years or more in room temperature.

[@applegal3058]

As someone who lives in Canada, who lives right next to the USA and tends to follow their home canning methods for the most part, you don't need to can jam under pressure. 10 minutes in a pot of boiling water covering the jars aught to do it. For plum, cranberry, partridgeberry, apples, apricots, bakeapple jams, I never really measure my sugar or add pectin. I just add sugar to taste and cook it until it looks right (I've been doing this for over 20 years). I also like to use no-sugar-needed pectin, so I can add sugar to taste and follow general volume instructions, but recipes are merely a guide. Things that need pectin are blueberries, strawberries, jellies. Low pectin fruits in general. The only thing that needs pressure canning is low-acid foods, like unpickled vegetables and meats.

[@Parshath20]

Great video! I spent the entire video looking to see when Shrimp hurt his thumb as seen/mentioned in the recent Weird Stuff in a Can episode. 😂

[@mrfreeman1995]

My partner and I are really not in to gardening at all despite me enjoying all of your nature videos. The one thing we do love is that we have a damson tree for making crumbles, chutney and jam. I think it goes best in chutney and definitely with the skins on!

[@psychedelikchameleon]

Aha! I was thinking about just this yesterday as we have loads of sloes at work. Also blackberries, elderberries, hawthorn.

[@TheScotsfurian]

Looks amazing, the Jam my grandmother made was always a lil runny like this, i used to assume all good jam was runny, never seen it as a sign of failure at all.

[@mrfreeman1995]

Our damson tree makes slightly larger plums than this so we quarter them. That makes it a bit easier to remove the stones without too much pulp clinging.

[@Tsnafu]

I was taught by my mum to tie up all the stones in a piece of muslin and boil it along with the jam. Don't know if this is really necessary as I've never made plum jam without doing so but I've never had it fail to set

[@AtomicShrimp]

That might be why my grandma left them in

[@Jessclay244]

Re. your nan leaving the stones in - my nan used to make stewed fruit from the garden - green gages, damsons etc which we'd have warm with evaporated milk for pudding. Stones left in to thicken it, and after we were all done, grandad would count the fruit stones left in our bowls while reciting a poem to see what we would each be when we were older - Tinker, tailor soldier, sailor, rich man poor man beggar-man thief :) I am in fact a sailor today :) Just lost my grandad last month, thanks for that memory Shrimp x

[@ThatCapnGeech]

We have a very productive elderberry bush in our backyard. It grows to to probably 12ft (3-4m) tall and produces about 7-8lbs (4kg) of elderberries a season. However it is a toxic breed and requires boiling to neutralize the toxins, so they’re pretty tedious

[@pkmnmastertash]

I've been harvesting the raspberries from the yard all year and freezing them and will be making raspberry jam with my grandma for the first time with them, so this video has just made me that much more excited to try it for the first time!

[@ghostladydarkling3250]

I always have to use that Surejell bottled pectin to make jelly. So nice to know people still hunt wild fruits, in my younger days it was so much fun going out foraging for berries, but its not something I can do much anymore. Love your videos.

[@AMSinc301]

I turned some foraged blackberries into a delicious smokey blackberry ketchup, beautiful on a sausage sandwich - highly recommend!

[@alanapants8133]

Hi Mike! I just wanted to thank you for putting the little cover graphic over the flickering stove clock. It's much appreciated! I was chatting with my husband, and he told me about a computer/tech channel he follows that does something similar. Because sometimes flickering and flashing lights are all around in the computer business, they'll put up a caption that warns of incoming flashing lights, and gives a brief countdown. I think if they tried to cover them all up with a graphic, they'd've covered the entire screen! But the one thing I thought might be useful to you -- they also play a chime when the flashing lights are over so that anyone who's looked away knows it's safe to look back again.

[@Vimby233]

A soft set just means it has potential as a sauce as well. I wasn’t going to make jam this year (plenty in stock from previous years) but this looks delicious.

[@theclumsyprepper]

You can never have too much jam. I've got loads of jam from previous years as well but if I have too much fruit at one time I will make jam.

[@fieryvale]

@@theclumsyprepper Same! I have a setting on my bread machine that I use. Put the whole fruit in overnight, strain and can next day.

[@theclumsyprepper]

@@fieryvale that's convenient. I use the traditional pot and a wooden spoon 😁 I harvested some blackberries, sloes, rosehips and hawthorn berries today (all from my garden) and will be making jam from them during the week. I have some apples from the orchard to use up so I'll mix it all together and will have a lovely jam to add to the pantry. Might throw few strawberries in as well.

[@PaulD55]

Can you show us how you and Jenny prepare the frogs! I've always wanted to try some.

[@ellaisplotting]

The frogs are friends! They're rescuing them!

[@BloodAsp]

Frogs are friends, not food!

[@bethenecampbell6463]

I'm sure Jenny says something very sweet and encouraging to them and sets them gently back in the garden. 😉

[@mr.monocle4812]

Looks beautiful!

[@Rei-Rei]

Might I suggest a flour sifter for sifting the pulp and removing seeds? I make my own raspberry and cranberry juice but got fed up of picking seeds out of my teeth, Raspberries have a LOT of seeds. I looked around for a solution and settled on an American style flour sifter. It looks like a metal mug with a crank handle and I've found it very effective for removing those pesky seeds.

[@truffleshuffle314]

I love these videos. You give off wacky uncle energy, I love hearing you talk and share your expertise in stuff I've never done, its very relaxing.

[@LKD70]

I love making jam, though i tend to add in some lemon juice, especially to a thinner jam like this. It will set a lot better.

[@PeteJohnson1471]

Having a few small plates in the freezer helps. Get a teaspoon of the mixture from the pan and put on the cold plate, and return it to the freezer for 30 seconds or so. When you take it back out of the freezer, stick your finger into the blob to see whether it's reached the consistency you are looking for. If not, return to the heat for another minute and try again with the plate. The jam looks tasty though it has to be said.

[@stuartcurrie4725]

My Gran always told me to leave the stones of plums in when cooking as they contain pectin and helps set the jam. They can be sieved out later

[@DanSolow]

You're so helpful and caring! From coving up the flashing oven timer to being concerned of those scared of many holes. Never knew that was a thing but glad your looking out for everyone while making this golden content! Love Ya! ❤️

[@neilmurraygray]

We've had good luck using an olive pitter to remove stones from fruit like this (sometimes sold as cherry pitters), but it isn't THAT much faster than your method here. It does take up room in the drawer as a "single-use" tool, as Alton Brown would say, unless you deal with a great volume of smaller stone fruit (and olives).

[@KellyS_77]

Would a cherry pitter work to destone the Bullis? You wouldn't pressure can jam, it's a high acid product, you only need to water bath or steam can it. Pressure canning is only for low acid foods. The extreme heat of a pressure canner would break down the pectin in jam and you would end up with berry sauce instead of jam.

[@2learn4ever]

I found bullace bushes in a park nearby and when I went back the next time to collect them in a bag the birds had nabbed them first, just my luck!! When I used to make blackcurrant jam some years ago, I would boil it up and keep testing it on a plate which I had previously kept in the fridge/freezer, then when it formed a skin when I run a skewer through it I knew it was at the setting point.

[@HappyCodingZX]

regarding the pulp you had left over at 13:16 it's possible to dehydrate it and add it to green / herbal tea. It only adds a little but hey, waste not want not.

[@penelopecrichlow7238]

I’ve made this for years, no proper recipe but I call it hedgerow jelly, it’s sooo good x

[@jodiebanner6946]

I wish we had hedgerows in the USA. A boiling water bath of ten minutes would be sufficient to keep your jam for at least 18 months. I’ve never pressure canned jam. Now I need to research that. It looks delicious!!!

[@xingcat]

I always love homemade jam. I tend to hedge my bets by putting in lemon juice for a bit of extra pectin.

[@KaliTragus]

Often I find that jams set up better in a few days or a week, I've labeled a jam as a "sauce" before, only to have it completely set up later on!

[@mercycunningham2813]

The Foamypart is the best part of jam making. You skim it off and after you finish your jammingyou make a nice cup od tea or coffee and eat it on fresh bunns with butter or clothed cream.

[@RabbitsCantRead]

Many of our local wild roses already have ripe hips and rosehip jelly is exquisite if you havnt tried it ! Thanks for the video

[@ppiechnik]

You can either add a tablespoon or so of butter, or skim the foam off.

[@jackholmes225]

I picked a load of elderberrys and blackberrys and made a crumble. However i spoilt it by adding a banana to the mix (mostly because it was on they way to overripe). I thought it would just add a bit of sweetness and a bit more flavour, but made the whole thing taste weird and generally not good. Lesson learned!

[@KericthePally]

Oh I bet this tastes amazing. You're making me jealous. I used to have family who lived on a farm with a bunch of damson trees. She used to make damson jam and it was beautiful.

[@druidgrove]

If you freeze the elderberries on the stem overnight or for several hours they come off the stem much easier.

[@broadsword6650]

In my experience damsons when ripe are soft and very juicy but bullos stay hard and then dry out and have to be pricked and soaked before use (best used for flavouring gin or vodka).

[@MatsJPB]

Not making health recomendations of course, but we've had jam and jelly made and jarred in this way that's lasted upp to 15 years without issues.

[@SteveTheDog115]

side note, Ball makes reusable twist tops for their mason jars, im not sure if the jar brand you buy has those, but i would sugest keeping an eye out for them. Its really helped make my process of doing soda syrups and liqueurs easier, but ofc they are a relative fortune compared to just using the jar tops. I just smell jar tops and im like... "surely thats doing something to the flavor" so i went with the twisty lids and never went back!

[@rlmtrelomatt7390]

I see that you are making good use of your blackberry bush basket. Cesta hecha de cañas de zarzamora. Fantástico

[@rinoz47]

Jam on, Shrimpo, jam on.