Queens Jam- Kuningatarhillo

Photo by Mehri Riviere

Raspberry and Blueberry Jam

Berries are very popular in Scandinavian countries and here in Finland as well. There are many varieties of jams made from a combination of berries, and perhaps the most favorite is the Queen’s jam; its name perhaps manifests its popularity. This is an amazingly delicious jam made from a combination of raspberries and blueberries.

Here is a simple recipe for the Kuningatar-Hillo, which means Queen’s jam.

Ingredients:

Half a kilo of raspberries, fresh or frozen

Half a kilo of blueberries, fresh or frozen

400 g (about 5 dl) jam sugar/Hillosokeri

0,5 dl water

For best results, use ripe and whole berries. And if you are using frozen berries, better to let them melt at room temperature before cooking them.

1. Transfer the berries and water into a pot, cook it at low temperature slowly until it starts to boil, then add the jam sugar.

2. Keep the flame low, and cook for about 10 minutes.

3. This recipe is good-looking if the berries stay as whole as possible therefore don’t stir too much. If there is foam formed on the surface, gently remove it.

4. Let the jam set, and cool totally before transferring it to a clean glass jar.

5. Keep in the fridge for a few days.

6. En

7. joy ice cream, cookies, porridge, pancakes, waffles, smoothies, as cakes’ filling, etc.

Note:

If you wonder what the jam sugar is:

• Jam sugar is a special gelling sugar (containing natural fruit pectin), which is used instead of regular sugar to make jams, marmalades, jellies, fruit compotes, and other preserves. One can buy it in the shops ready, and usually, the instructions are written on the package about how to use it.

• If you are interested in the sugar-free version, you could use dates instead of sugar. Let the dates be soaked in warm water for an hour to get them soft, then chop them into small pieces and add them to the pot.

• -If you want a more aromatic jam, you could add some strawberries in addition.