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    Home » Pickles, Preserves, Etc

    Highbush Cranberry Jelly with Ginger

    Published: Oct 11, 2020 Modified: Jan 6, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Highbush cranberry ginger jelly recipe

    One of the best things highbush cranberries can become is a brilliant red jelly. This one flavored with ginger and spices is my favorite.

    Extracting Juice: Hot vs Cold

    Heating fresh highbush cranberries with water will give the finished juice a slightly bitter flavor, but adds pectin. A cold extraction doesn't have pectin but has no bitterness. You can use both types of juice here. If you don't know the differences between the two see my post on highbush cranberries.

    Highbush cranberries or Viburnum trilobum
    Highbush cranberries.

    Use the Right Species

    You need to make sure you’re using a species. For a highbush cranberry jelly recipe that tastes good, you must use Native American highbush cranberries (Viburnum trilobum).

    High bush cranberry jelly with ginger
    I like jelly that's barely set, still a bit wiggly.

    European highbush cranberries (Viburnum opulus) taste bitter, with an awful aftertaste like wet dog. A good highbush cranberry should taste pleasantly tart, with a hint of funk, not bitter.

    Highbush cranberry ginger jelly recipe
    The jelly has a brilliant red color.

    Infusing the Juice

    High bush cranberries are tart but they don’t have the deep flavor of say, a raspberry-they're just nice, tart berries.

    Things like orange peel, cinnamon, and ginger are great. I infuse the juice overnight with aromatics here to add flavor.

    Serving

    The jelly is good with goat cheese, and of coarse, on buttered toast and English muffins. It's also good spooned over game meat like classic rowanberry jelly.

    Highbush cranberry ginger jelly recipe
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Highbush Cranberry Jelly with Ginger

    Tangy jelly made from highbush cranberries scented with ginger. Makes 4 cups
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time45 mins
    Infusing Time (optional)8 hrs
    Course: Breakfast, Condiment
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: highbush cranberry
    Servings: 10 Servings
    Calories: 377kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo
    Cost: 5

    Equipment

    • 1 Jelly bag or strainer
    • 1 2 quart saucepot
    • 1 Sterilized jars

    Ingredients

    • 32 oz highbush cranberries or 4 cups highbush cranberry juice * see note
    • 4 cups water
    • ½ cup fresh ginger coarsely grated
    • 1 inch stick of cinnamon
    • Zest of one large orange grated on a microplane
    • 4 teaspoons powdered pectin preferably Cuisine Tech brand
    • 4 cups sugar
    • 2 teaspoons lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon citric acid

    Instructions

    Infusing the juice (optional)

    • Mash the highbush cranberries, cover with the water, bring to a boil stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes, then strain. Add the remaining ingredients except the sugar and pectin.
    • Cool and rest overnight in the fridge, or at least for a few hours.
    • Strain the juice naturally through cheesecloth or a jelly bag, without pressing on it. You should be left with about 4 cups of juice.

    Cooking

    • Put a small stainless steel bowl or plate in the freezer to do set tests. Stainless steel is better as metal conducts differences in temperature faster.
    • Mix the pectin and sugar. Add the sugar pectin mixture to the juice.
    • Bring to a rolling boil stirring constantly for the first minute.
    • Cook until it gets to 225 F, then begin doing set tests. Drop small spoonfuls on a frozen metal surface or plate, watching to see when the mixture barely holds it’s shape. My sweet spot is around 225-230 F.
    • When the mixture barely holds it's shape beat in the lemon juice or citric acid.
    • Immediately pour into sterilized jars and process in a water bath.
    • I process 4 oz jelly jars for 10 minutes. Your processing time will vary depending on the size of your jars.

    Notes

    Scaling the Recipe

    The proportions here are easy to scale. Use 1 teaspoon pectin, and 1 cup sugar for each 1 cup highbush cranberry juice. 

    Pectin

    I use apple pectin, but liquid pectin works fine too. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1oz | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 98g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 95g | Vitamin A: 57IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.4mg

    More

    Highbush Cranberries

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    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

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