Ground cherry jam

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This ground cherry jam brings together the ground cherry, Quebec’s strangest fruit, with the heat of ginger and the zest of lemon and lime. Fall perfection. This jam can be canned, or kept in the fridge. Makes about 2 pint-sized jars.

Course jam

Cuisine Quebecois

Keyword canning, preserving

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 310kcal

Author Ksenia Prints

Equipment

Ingredients

2 lb ground cherries peeled and washed (you should have about 1.5 lbs left after removing the husks and throwing out any inedible fruit)
2.5 cups sugar
1 lemon juice and zest of
1 lime juice of
3- inch knob of ginger grated
2 star anise pieces
1 pinch salt about ½ tsp
2 pint-sized jars

Instructions

If canning, thoroughly wash jars and arrange them in a hot water bath canner. Bring pot with jars to a boil, and process on a rolling boil for 10 minutes.
Remove the husks from all of your ground cherries, throwing out any fruit with black spots or mold. Wash fruit carefully.
Grate ginger, zest lemon, and juice both the lemon and lime. Set ginger aside, but feel free to combine the lemon and lime juices.
Combine ground cherries, sugar, lemon zest and the citrus juice in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring pot to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to medium and continue simmering until all the ground cherries have burst and dissolved, about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally (your whole house will smell like a confectioner’s shop). If the jam remains very liquid, continue cooking for up to 20 minutes more.
In the last 10 minutes, add whole star anise and ground ginger to pot. Remove pot from heat.
Very carefully (and preferably using a ladle), pour jam into clean, prepared (and sterilized, if canning) jars. Wipe the rims with a wet towel.
If jam is to be kept in the fridge, just close the lids and let it cool down on the counter. It will thicken further in the fridge. Enjoy on crackers with (very) sharp cheddar, on baguette with goat cheese, along with a charcuterie platter, or just with peanut butter on toast.
If canning, ladle some boiling hot water from the hot water bath canner into a small saucepan, and sink the new metal lids for the jars into it (no need to soak the rings that secure the lids). After a couple of minutes, place the metal lids on the jars and secure with the rings, using just the tips of two fingers to screw them down (i.e., don’t fight to screw them on thoroughly). Lower jars back into hot water bath canner (you may need to pour out some water at this point), and process at a rolling boil for another 10 minutes. Remove jars from pot and let cool on counter for 24 hours, waiting for the all-important ‘pop’ sounds.

Nutrition