blackberry & apple jam

Preparation time 20 minutes

Cooking temperature high

Cooking time 4–5 hours

Makes 4 x 400 g (13 oz) jars

1 kg (2 lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped

500 g (1 lb) granulated sugar

grated rind of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons water or lemon juice

250 g (8 oz) blackberries

Preheat the slow cooker if necessary; see the manufacturer’s instructions. Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker pot, in the order listed. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 4–5 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking. By the end of the cooking time the fruit should be thick and pulpy.

Warm 4 clean jars in the bottom of a low oven. Spoon in the jam, place a waxed disc on top and leave to cool. Seal each jar with a cellophane jam pot cover and an elastic band, label and store for up to 2 months in the refrigerator. (The jam’s low sugar content means that it does not keep as long as conventional jam and must be kept in the refrigerator.)

For apple, plum & mixed berry jam, replace half the apples with 500 g (1 lb) stoned and chopped red plums and half the blackberries with 125 g (4 oz) raspberries. Cook and store as above.