Description
This autumn olive jam recipe transforms invasive berries into gourmet preserves rich in antioxidants and flavor. With 30% more lycopene than tomatoes, autumn olive jam is a nutrient-dense, sweet-tart spread ready in just 90 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 lbs autumn olive fruit (10–11 cups fresh berries)
- 3 cups water
- 1–4 cups sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1 box low sugar pectin (1.75 oz)
- Optional: 2 under-ripe McIntosh apples (for pectin)
- Optional: 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- Optional: 1 tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp ginger
Instructions
- Rinse and sort 3 lbs autumn olives. Remove stems, leaves, and damaged berries.
- Place berries in a heavy pot with 3 cups water. Bring to boil, then simmer 1–2 minutes while mashing until pulp releases.
- Strain mixture through a food mill or fine mesh to remove seeds and skins, yielding about 6 cups pulp.
- Return pulp to pot, bring to boil, and add low-sugar pectin. Stir constantly, boil hard for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat, add 1–4 cups sugar. Stir until dissolved. Return to boil for 1 minute.
- Test doneness on a chilled plate. Ladle hot jam into sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.
- Process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes (15 minutes above 6,000 ft).
Notes
Autumn olives contain 17x more lycopene than tomatoes. Use ripe, deep-red berries for best results. Always use low-sugar pectin to balance sweetness and ensure proper set.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Preserves
- Method: Canning
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 29
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 0mg
- Fat: 0.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 0.1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg