Ingredients
| 500g fresh or frozen boysenberries | |
| 2 pears, peeled, cored & finely diced | |
| 400g raw sugar | |
| 125ml (½ cup) water | |
| 2 tablespoons lemon juice | |
| 6-8 lemon verbena leaves, finely chopped |
Blackberries can be used in place of boysenberries, if preferred. Lemon verbena can be found at selected garden centres in the herb section and is easily grown in a pot or garden bed. The leaves can be used to make herb teas. If you can’t find any, replace with the finely grated zest of a lemon.
Instructions
| 1. | Heat the oven to 120°C. |
| 2. | Clean 5 small, lidded glass jars in hot soapy water, rinse then place the jars into the oven to sterilise for 30 minutes. Place lids in a heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water and set aside for 5 minutes. |
| 3. | Place a small plate into the freezer. |
| 4. | Combine all the ingredients except the lemon verbena in a large, shallow saucepan, heat over a medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar has melted. |
| 5. | Increase the heat and bring up to the boil, reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 10 minutes. |
| 6. | Add the lemon verbena, stir well, and then cook for a further 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. |
| 7. | When it starts to look thick and the bubbles change from small and rapid to big and more pronounced, test to see if the jam is set. |
| 8. | To do this, remove the plate from the freezer, spoon a little jam onto it, run your finger through the middle and if a trail remains your jam is ready. If not, continue cooking for a further 5-10 minutes, rechecking with the cold plate until set. |
| 9. | Remove the jars from the oven and carefully ladle in the jam, allowing 1cm of space at the top of each jar. |
| 10. | Screw on the lids immediately and set aside to cool. |
| 11. | Store unopened jam in a dark pantry for up to 12 months. Once open, store in the fridge and use within a month. |
| 12. | Note: The lids will suck down as the jam cools; store any that don’t in the fridge and use within a month. |
Recipes, food styling and photography Emma Galloway
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