This easy Elderflower Jam recipe is a simple way to turn these frothy Spring flowers into a beautiful fragrant preserve. Make extra, as this stuff tastes so good!!!
Making homemade jam always feels like pure alchemy.
You start off with a few basic ingredients and end up with a sweet, sticky preserve.
But the real magic happens when you open that jar, months from now, and the seasonal scent of the star ingredient is released.
When that star ingredient is a wild flower that you picked on a warm sunny day way back in June, winter doesn’t feel so long or so cold after all :)
It’s with that in mind, that I’m secretly squirrelling away one single jar of this elderflower jam.
By hiding it at the very back of the cupboard, my hopes are it can be enjoyed on Christmas morning.
Generously spread on top of a hot, buttered croissant.
Yum!
How to make {easy} Elderflower Jam
1/ extract your flavours
Start off with a pan or large bowl containing the freshly boiled water.
Add your lemon slices, and snip in your fresh elderflowers.
Stir them around in the hot water, and put the pan to one side.
Leave for a minimum of one hour, and a maximum of 24 hours.
During this time the fragrance and flavour from the flowers and lemons will be extracted into the water.
2/ strain the liquid
Pull out a large saucepan that has a thick, heavy base.
Top it with a sieve. Then line the sieve with a clean piece of muslin cloth.
Pour everything into the sieve, allowing the water to drip through into the pan below.
3/ wring out the juice
This step is optional. You can gather up the muslin cloth and squeeze out all the juice if you’re in a hurry.
Or you can skip this step and just leave the juice to slowly drip through the cloth by gravity. This will likely take several hours (I would leave it overnight).
Squeezing the juice out will result in a cloudier jam than if you let gravity do all the work. However, both jams will taste the same.
4/ sweeten with jam sugar
Add your jam sugar to the pan of juice and bring to a boil.
Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved.
Stop stirring and allow to boil for 4 minutes.
If you have a jam thermometer, setting point is reached at 105c/220F.
5/ pour into jars
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the scalding hot syrup into sterilised, hot jam jars.
If you are using wax discs, place these on immediately and pop on the sterilised lid to cool.
If you aren’t using wax discs, allow to cool fully before putting on the lid.
Either way, once cool, store in a cool dark pantry and enjoy at your leisure.
What other recipes can I make with wild elderflowers?
I’m so glad you asked! You can check out all my recipes here: Elderflower Recipes
How do I sterilise my jam jars?
I find the easiest way to sterilise my jars is to run them through the dishwasher.
You can also boil them in a large pan for 10 minutes.
Ensure your jars are still hot, or at least warm when you pour the boiling hot jam in as otherwise they may shatter on contact.
Should I use jam sugar, preserving sugar, or pectin?
Jam sugar contains more pectin than preserving sugar.
So in this recipe I recommend using jam sugar.
You can also use commercial pectin and granulated sugar. Refer to the pectin packaging as to how much to use.
Why didn’t my jam set?
If this happens, it is likely that the jam wasn’t boiled for long enough.
Return the liquid jam to the pan. You can add the juice of one more lemon as this contains pectin, and reboil for 4 more minutes.
If you have a jam thermometer you can test the temperature. Setting point occurs when the jam reaches 105c/220F.
You can also test the jam by spooning a small amount onto a cold plate. Place the plate in the freezer for a couple of minutes, then push the jam splodge with your finger. If it wrinkles up, it is set.
If you get stuck, there are some useful jam-making tips in this article.
- 20 elderflowers
- 1 lemon - thinly sliced
- 1.3 kg jam sugar - this is sugar that has added pectin. This will make the jam set.
- 1.5 litre water
Pre sterilise your jam jars (see above for more info on this), and keep them warm.
Bring the water to the boil in a large pan.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the elderflowers and lemon. Cover with a clean tea towel and let sit for a minimum of 1 hour, or a maximum of 24 hours.
Place a sieve over a large pan. Line the sieve with a clean piece of muslin, then pour the contents of the first pan into the sieve.
Let the flowers and lemons drip through into the pan below. You can gather up the muslin and squeeze the contents firmly to extract the juice, or you can leave it for several hours to slowly drip through.
Add the jam sugar to the pan of juice, and bring to a boil.
Stir well until the sugar has dissolved.
Boil the syrup hard, for 4 minutes. Keep an eye on it the whole time and reduce the heat a little if it looks like it may boil over.
Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any scum with a clean spoon.
Very carefully, pour the contents into the waiting sterile, warm jars. If your jars are cold they may shatter with the heat of the syrup.
Let the jam cool fully somewhere safe before popping on the sterile lids and storing the jars in your pantry or gifting to friends.
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