When I saw all the bountiful berry offerings from Reid’s Orchard at the Waverly Farmers Market, I had to take action.
Nearly all of my Maryland cookbooks contain recipes for currant jelly. It was popular with meats, especially game such as venison. It is also a frequent ingredient in more complicated sauces containing onions and such.
Being a fan of a little sweet-tartness on sandwiches, I figured I will have a use for this.
Mrs. B.C. Howard includes three different recipes for currant jelly in “50 Year in a Maryland Kitchen.” One recipe promises to yield a result that is beautifully clear and “will keep perfectly.” I have no-one to impress so I was a little more haphazard.
I sense that the clearest of clear currant jellies was a bit of a status symbol to impress guests.
Another currant jelly recipe was contributed to EDBMiM by “Mrs. Clarence J. Roberts née Miss Frances Fairfax.”
My research suggests that this is a typo and the husband is Clarence M. Roberts, a politician from Prince Georges County. Frances’ father was either the 11th or 12th “Lord Fairfax of Cameron,” whatever the heck that actually means.
The Fairfax family’s Bowie plantation, Northhampton, is now an archeological site in the middle of suburban development.
I also referenced a recipe from Elizabeth Ellicott Lea (more on her at a later date.)
These books promise many further uses for the jelly, from a jelly-roll cake, meat-sauces or inclusion in an sweet boozy punch.
Recipe:
- currants
- sugar
- water
The currants should be picked from the bushes during dry weather. Place the currants in a pot and crush lightly. Place over heat with a small quantity of water to keep from burning. As soon as they are cooked soft, strain through fine cheesecloth or a sieve until all the juice is extracted, then strain it slowly through a finer cloth to remove all impurities and pulp. Measure the juice and put it in a clean pot with an equal weight of sugar. Let boil for five minutes, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Can immediately in sterilized jar(s).
Recipe adapted from “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland” and “A Quaker Woman’s Cookbook”
