Thanksgiving Jam

This Thanksgiving Cranberry Orange Jam combines tart cranberries with the bright citrusy zest of fresh oranges, creating a perfectly sweet and tangy spread that can be enjoyed on toasted sourdough bread, with pancakes or waffles or even paired with festive roast Turkey.

Course Condiments

Cuisine American, English

Keyword Condiment

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings Jars

Calories 625kcal

Equipment

Heavy Based Saucepan (I've used a 5L saucepan)
Stainless Steel Jar Funnel
Stainless Steel Ladle
2 Jars (I've used 2 x 300ml jars)

Ingredients

200 g White Sugar
500 g Cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 Orange (you'll need zest and 100g of juice)
2 Green Apples (cored and diced - see notes)

Instructions

Chop your apples into a fine dice. To save time I throw them in a food processor and chop them in there. I never peel them as I love the colors when I first add to the pot.
Add all of the ingredients to a heavy based saucepan and stir together over a high heat until it comes to the boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium and allow the Thanksgiving jam to simmer for around 30 minutes or until it becomes thick and jammy.
Turn the heat off once you're happy with the consistency. I like to run my spoon on the base of the pan. If you can see a strip of the pan where the jam doesn't run back into immediately, then you know your jam is thick enough and will set once cool.
If you want a smoother jam at this stage, you can use a stick blender to smooth out the jam. It's fine if you leave it chunkier, it's really just personal preference.
Take 2 jars (I've used 300mls but you can use smaller) and sterilise them with boiling water or run them through the dishwasher on a super hot cycle to ensure they are ready to use.
While the jam and jars are still hot, use a stainless steel jam funnel to fill the jars, leaving around 1cm head room at the top. Seal the jars tightly.
Allow to cool on the counter before transferring to the fridge. I don't can this jam, I just keep it in the fridge and it's fine this way. It lasts at least 2 months unopened and around 2 weeks once you open the jar.

Notes

Cranberries - I have used frozen cranberries when developing this recipe. When I first made it, I defrosted the cranberries, but after testing the recipe a few more times with frozen cranberries I discovered it makes no difference whether you thaw the berries or not.

Apples - I've used 2 apples which were approx. 270g before chopping them up).

Nutrition