Deliciously Sweet Ground Cherry Jam

Turn those ground cherries growing in your garden into some delicious ground cherry jam!

Ground cherries aren’t normally included in gardens, but they’re a delicious addition. With these little garden fruits, you can make ground cherry jam which is a hit for the entire family.

Never heard of ground cherries?

You aren’t alone! They’re often called cape gooseberries, and they’re native to the United States. Ground cherries are in the same family as tomatoes, surprisingly, but their taste is a blend between citrus, pineapple, strawberries, and yes, a hint of tomatoe-y.

The flavor is unique to ground cherries, but it’s absolutely worth growing ground cherries and eating them. My kids love to eat ground cherries while we garden.

Making ground cherry jam is easy, and I wanted to use a recipe that would bring out the citrus flavor but also let the ground cherries shine. Here is what I came up with.

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How to Make Ground Cherry Jam

I started with frozen ground cherries. I often freeze the fruits I grow because everything harvests at one time and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Some things are better canned fresh, but you can freeze ground cherries and wait until you have time.

You can put the ground cherries into a pot – frozen or fresh. They do have a lot of water in the fruits, so they cook down nicely.

• 3 Cups of Ground Cherries
• 1 Cup of Pineapples
• 1/2 Cup of Strawberries OR 4 TBSP Strawberry Jam
• 2 TBSP Lemon Juice

Let these foods cook down together, blending the flavors. The pineapple does bring out that natural citrus flavor in the ground cherry jam without being an actual pineapple jam. That’s not what I wanted.

Yes, I tossed some strawberries in there too. I had eaten ground cherries and strawberries together – SO GOOD! You can either use some strawberries or a few tablespoons of strawberry jam.

Make sure you add in the lemon juice!

Now, use a blender and get everything blended together.

Then, it’s time to add in your pectin and sugar. I used one box of low-sugar pectin and 3 cups of sugar.

First, in a separate bowl, mix the pectin and one cup of sugar together. Use a whisk to mix this into the jam. Stir well, and add the rest of the sugar. Make sure you blend it well to let the sugar dissolve.

Then, bring your jam to a rolling boil for one minute. Take it off of the heat.

Fill the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace and process the jars in a water bath canner for 5 minutes for half-pints and 10 minutes for pints.

Other Jam & Jelly Recipes to Make

• Yummy Delicious Mulberry Jelly
• No-Fail, Easy Strawberry Jam
• Cranberry Holiday Jam
• Summertime Watermelon Jelly