![IMG_0465 ripe currants, currant berries, currants on plant,](http://grabauheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IMG_0465-e1406152125898-300x259.jpg)
After we finished picking in the prickly, red raspberry patch, my daughter and I were delighted to find that there were some currants ready for picking, too. We both spent time picking till the sun finally set.
![IMG_0479 currants, pail of currants, currants for making Jelly,](http://grabauheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IMG_0479-e1406303178863-300x200.jpg)
We got a good crop. Of course, I wish we could have gotten twice as many as we did. These thornless bushes made the harvest painless.
You will notice from the photo that several berries grow on a tender, green stem. I pick them stem and all. Once I get them in the house, I wash them and remove the stems.
![IMG_0480 Currant juice, extracted currant juice, juice for currant jelly,](http://grabauheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IMG_0480-e1406303679671-257x300.jpg)
I mash the currants, add water to the berries, bring them to a boil and let it simmer 10 minutes. The juice is then strained through several layers of cheesecloth.
![IMG_0482 Water bath canner, canning Jelly, Currant Jelly,](http://grabauheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IMG_0482-e1406306869968-300x272.jpg)
The pectin is added to the juice and brought to a boil. Sugar is added and the mixture is boiled again. The juice is skimmed to eliminate foam in the jelly. The jelly is ready to ladle into prepared mason jar and processed in the canner.
![IMG_0487 Mason jars, currant jelly,](http://grabauheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IMG_0487-e1406308447216-300x200.jpg)
When finished the jelly is cooled
![IMG_0490 currant jelly, Kerr lids, Labeled canning jars,](http://grabauheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IMG_0490-e1406319375401-300x279.jpg)
and labeled.
These jars of jelly will remind us of the delight of summer now and during the winter.
photo credits: Wenda Grabau
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