Cherry blossom Jam

 

I recently saw a video of someone making jam using the pretty pink petals from a cherry blossom tree and I knew at once I wanted to give this a try!

I had no idea you could use them in baking and I haven't made jam before so I put it on my weekend to do list to give it a try...

I am so very lucky that I have 4 blossom trees in my garden at Wonky cottage, two of these are deliciously pink cherry blossoms which give me so much joy. 

This could potentially be the sweetest thing I have ever made! Just look at how pink it is.

The recipe is very simple and the method is super easy to follow. Make sure you sterilize your jars ahead of time and some people suggested putting a plate in the fridge before you make this so you can test the jam to see if it is ready (when its ready it shouldn't be able to run off the plate and will wrinkle when pushed). I didn't do this as I had a thermometer.

All you need is;

two cups of jam sugar

two and a half cups of water

two cups of blossom petals

a squeeze of lemon

I added some frozen raspberries 

Simply add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and let it bubble away, giving it a good stir and making sure the sugar doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Once it gets to 105 degrees, it is done. Pour into the sterilized jars and leave in the fridge to set, this can take 24 hours.

Having not made jam I was expecting the mixture to thicken or to take a jam like consistency whilst in the pan but it didn't really change that much so I wasn't sure if I had made it correctly but after leaving it to set in the fridge, it has worked perfectly and it is going to make such lovely gifts for my friends.

I personally don't like jam, its too sweet and the consistency gives me the ick, but I love making things and trying new recipes - this was an absolute joy to make and took no time at all.