With its deep fruity flavor, sweet tang, and beautiful golden color, Cloudberry Jam or Bakeapple Jam as it’s sometimes called, is the Rolls Royce of jams! It’s also super easy to make this jam a seedless jelly!
Making your own jam allows you to control how set the jam will be and even allow you to eliminate unnecessary additives.
Homemade preserves are adaptable and you can decide the sweetness to suit your preferences.
So you get a lot for a little effort!
If, like me you just love the process and satisfaction of making your own jams and preserves then you might also enjoy this delicious Queens Jam. And if foraging is your thing you should definitely check out these simple recipes for Rosehip Soup and Blueberry Soup -Two Swedish recipes that are packed with nutrients and super delicious!
WHAT ARE CLOUDBERRIES, AND WHERE CAN YOU FIND THEM?
Rubus chamaemorus is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to cool regions in the northern hemisphere.
The cloudberry is not widely cultivated and is primarily a wild plant despite great demand. This often makes them an expensive, sought-after berry and a rare delicacy!
This herbaceous perennial produces an amber-colored edible fruit similar to a blackberry in shape. It has its very own distinct flavor, that is almost impossible to describe, almost like a tangy apricot flavor but with deeper fruity flavor. When ripe, cloudberry fruits have a beautiful golden color, and are soft, juicy, and super rich in vitamin C!
If you are lucky, you may find fresh cloudberries in your supermarket when it is picking season. You can often find frozen cloudberries in the freezer department of your supermarket and in specialist shops. Frozen cloudberries are perfect for jam-making!
I dream of traveling to northern Sweden to pick and preserve my own wild cloudberries in the northern forests! Cloudberry Jam is apparently one of the great Canadian food experiences, and if I ever travel there, I'll be sure to try some Canadian cloudberry preserves for comparison to sweden's cloudberry jam.
OTHER NAMES FOR CLOUDBERRIES
According to Wikipedia Other common names for these golden berries include , nordic berry, bakeapple (northern Canada and United States), golden berry, knotberry and knoutberry, aqpik or low-bush salmonberry ( not to be confused with salmonberry), and averin or evron in Scotland.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE CLOUDBERRY JAM
- Cloudberries – frozen or fresh berries
- Granulated sugar or Jam sugar
- Fresh lemon juice if using granulated sugar
- Well-cleaned jars and lids – sterilised in boiling water for 5 minutes. Use a tong to remove them from the water and avoid touching the inside of the jar.
-This recipe is enough for about half a litre/ quart of jam.
I recommend using smaller jars to prolong the shelf life of your jam. Once opened they will need to be Kept in the fridge and consumed within about 2 weeks.
Seeds are often a great source of dietary fiber but If you prefer seedless cloudberry jam, then you will also need a sieve. Unlike raspberry jam, Cloudberries have large seeds and produce a seedy jam. Removing the seeds inevitably removes some of the pulp, but the result is a delicious cloudberry jelly. Whichever you choose, both cloudberry preserves are delicious!
SETTING AND PRESERVING JAMS AND JELLIES
Below are a few methods for making cloudberry jam, one using commercial jam sugar and some alternative methods to encourage jam to set.
To preserve your jam, you need to use between 50 and 60% sugar and you can choose between jam sugar(pectin sugar) and regular granulated sugar. You can also substitute up to half of the sugar with honey if you prefer. The first European preserves were made using honey.
If you are using granulated sugar or honey, you will need to add a little lemon juice to raise the acidity of the jam, which will also help it to set.
I prefer a softer, easy-to-spread jam and often make this recipe with granulated sugar and a little bit of lemon juice. If you prefer thick jams, I recommend that you use jam sugar to guarantee a well-set jam.
SETTING JAM
The preferred consistency of jam is a very personal thing. I like it soft enough to spread, but firm enough not to drip off my toast.
Jam sugar is the kind of sugar that is usually used for setting jam and is specially formulated to contain the right amount of pectin to set most fruits. Pectin is a complex starch that is found to varying degrees in fruits and is useful in setting jams.
Many jam sugars also contain citric acid, to lower the ph and assist in the setting. It also helps in preserving. They may also contain potassium sorbate as a conservative.
If you wish to avoid using additives like citric acid (Commercial citric acid is produced using Aspergillus Niger, a mold that some people may find they are sensitive to ) substituting with lemon juice works fine! This may effect the preservation of the jam or jelly, particularly if you are making a reduced sugar jam. Meaning it cannot be stored at room temperature. Enjoy your fresh jam within two weeks.
Making jam without jam sugar or pectin sugar, as its sometimes called is a great way to avoid additives like citric acid and also gives you more control over the sweetness and consistency of the jam. As with most things, practice makes perfect, and remember to enjoy your fresh jam within two weeks!
USING A THERMOMETER TO TEST FOR THE SETTING POINT OF THE JAM
The most useful tool if you want to be sure you have reached the setting point for a jam or jelly is a thermometer. This takes all the guesswork out of whether or not you have hit a jam-setting point. When the temperature of a boiling jam hits 105°C / 220°F, you know you have removed enough water from the fruit so pectin can begin forming bonds.
THE SAUCER TRICK
Another useful trick if you don’t have a thermometer handy
Spoon a little jam onto a cooled saucer, let the jam cool in the fridge for a minute, and then push against the side of it with your finger. If the surface wrinkles, it means the pectin network has solidified, the setting point has been reached, and you should take the mixture off the heat.
HOW TO SERVE CLOUDBERRY JAM AND JELLY
In our home, we enjoy the tangy flavor of cloudberry jam together with soft cheese or sour cream on freshly baked scones or for breakfast on a slice of sourdough toast. Or why not spoil yourself by whipping up a cloudberry and raspberry swirl for a delicious and simple dessert?
In Sweden, cloudberry jam is used as a warm topping for vanilla ice cream, pancakes, and waffles.
In Norway, cloudberry jam is often mixed with whipped cream and sugar to be served as a dessert called multekram (cloudberry cream), or as an extra ingredient in homemade vanilla ice cream.
If you enjoy this recipe, I would love it if you gave it 5 stars or let me know in the comments below! I would be delighted to hear from you!
Hi, I’m Holly. Welcome to my site!
I love sharing my knowledge of foraging and simple, back-to-basics cooking so you’ll find some great recipes here, many inspired by my life in Sweden and my Irish roots.
I’m also a potter, passionate about connecting with other artists so you’ll also find inspiring interviews with fellow potters from around the world!
Whether you love pottery or simply looking for a new recipe, I hope you’ll find inspiration here!
Cloudberry Jam and Jelly
With its deep fruity flavour, sweet tang and beautiful golden color, Cloudberry Jam or Bakeapple Jam as it's sometimes called, is the Rolls Royce of jams! It’s also super easy to make this jam a seedless jelly!
Ingredients
- Frozen or fresh cloudberries 500g/ 1lb
- Granulated sugar or jam sugar - 500g/1lb
- Optional: lemon juice from half a fresh lemon if using granulated sugar.
- You will need : a wide-based pot
- jars with lids (enough jars to hold about 0.5l/1lb l ) - I recommend using several smaller jars.
- Using granulated sugar and lemon juice will produce a softer jam and you might want to consider using a thermometer to aid you in reaching the setting point.
Instructions
1. Start by placing a saucer in the fridge if you plan on doing the saucer test and preparing your jars. It is best if they are not sterilized too long in advance to remain thoroughly clean.
You can do this by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing thoroughly, and then placing in the oven at 160°C/ 320°F to dry.
Alternatively, boil clean jars and their lids in a large pot of water for five minutes. Remove from the hot water using tongs and place upside down on a clean tea towel to dry.
Avoid touching the inside of the jars or the lids!
2. Add the cloudberries to a wide-based pot together with a splash of cold water, about 100ml /half a cup. You can add more later if you feel the fruit is too dry and risks sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Bring to a boil slowly over low heat.
Boiling is the key to jam-making because it releases pectin from the fruit. This process will normally take between 5 and 10 minutes.
3. If you prefer a seedless jam, Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds. Some fruit pulp might remain with the seeds and you can use the back of a wooden spoon to carefully push through as much juice as possible. Measure how many cups of juice before you return the seedless liquid to the pot.
4. Add the sugar, using the ratio of equal parts juice or fruit to sugar. You can also add the lemon juice at this point if using it.
Stir to combine thoroughly before bringing it to a boil, keeping the heat low until the sugar has dissolved.
A foamy scum may form on the surface of the jam and can be removed by adding a little butter (about a teaspoon) or skimming it off later with a spoon while the mixture is cooling.
5. It is a good idea to test your jam to see if it has reached the setting point.
If you don't boil long enough the pectin network will not form properly. If you boil for too long you risk losing the fresh flavour and colour and your jam may not set at all.
You can do this in two ways:
Using a thermometer, you should aim for 105°C / 221°F.
You can also do the saucer test. Place a small blob of jam onto your pre-chilled saucer and return to the fridge for a minute to cool. Drag the tip of your finger through the edge of the blob, if it wrinkles you have reached setting point and can remove the jam from the heat.
6. Rest the jam for 10 minutes at this point. This will allow the mixture to cool slightly before pouring which helps to prevent the fruit from floating to the top.
Fill the hot, dry jars right o the top - preserves shrink slightly on cooling and a full jar means less trapped condensation. Seal the jars while still hot.
Your homemade Cloudberry Jam will last for well up to a year if stored in a cool dark place. Opened it should be stored in the fridge and eaten within about 2 weeks.
Serve together with clotted cream on freshly baked scones or for breakfast on a slice of sourdough toast. Or spoil yourself by whipping up a cloudberry and banana swirl for a delicious and simple dessert!
Notes
Jams usually contain about 50 - 60% sugar, which is enough to stop most microorganisms from growing. The high acidity also makes it an unpleasant place to breed. However, some molds can grow even in these harsh conditions and so it is important to take care when preparing and sterilising your jars.
I was gifted 2 quart bags of Aqpiq from the Nome, Alaska area. I used this recipe to make 3 jars of Jelly for Christmas gifts. Thank you!
P.S. I had to use a whole cup of lemon juice and it came out great.
I’m delighted to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Edible gifts are the best!
I picked 800+g of cloudberries this morning and made them into some very good jam this afternoon. I used the recipe just as written (800g berries, 800g sugar and a “large half” of lemon cooked to 220*F) and it worked perfectly. Will try it without seeds next time. Thank You!
I’m delighted to hear that! You’re very welcome! Thanks for leaving a comment =)