Photo: Jan-Herm Janßen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Jam · From Bladwijzer

Wild service berry and apple jam

Updated on 9 October 2026

• Makes: ± 4 jars of 250 ml
• Time: 1 hr 15 min
• From: Wild service tree

Ingredients

• 600 g bletted wild service berries
• 400 g sour apples
• 250 ml water
• juice of 1 lemon
• 500 g sugar

Method

1. Wash the berries, remove the stalks and throw away any mouldy or rotten ones.
2. Simmer them gently with half of the water for 15–20 minutes, until they fall apart.
3. Pass them through a food mill or a sieve: the stones and skins stay behind. You get a thick, dark purée (± 500 g).
4. Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut them into cubes. Cook them with the rest of the water for 10 minutes, until soft.
5. Mix the berry purée with the apples, add the sugar and lemon juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
6. Boil hard for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until the jam sets on the saucer test (a drop on a cold plate wrinkles when you push it).
7. Fill hot, clean jars to the brim, close and turn them upside down for 5 minutes.

Storing: A year in a cool, dark place; once opened, in the fridge. Good with cheese or on bread.