The mountain ash becomes sweet only on its name day - and this is September 23, the day of Peter and Paul. By this time, the first night frosts have already passed, and the bitterness from the frozen mountain ash leaves away. Some people even before this date try to make jam from it, but the taste is very specific, "for an amateur".
September mountain ash jam turns out to be golden and very appetizing in appearance. It has a light, slightly noticeable and very spicy bitterness.
To make rowan jam, the berry should be prepared. Remove debris and twigs, sort through, separating berries with signs of spoilage. Put the rowan in a bowl and cover with water, so leave it for one day. Change the water during this time - this should be done three times.
For a kilogram of mountain ash, you need one and a half kilograms of sugar and three glasses of water. Place the water and sugar in a suitable cooking container and boil the syrup. When it's ready, dip the soaked berries into it. Lightly press down on the rowan with a wooden spoon. Bring everything together to a boil, then remove the pan from heat and set to cool.
Take a slotted spoon and use it to move all the berries to another pan. Return the syrup to the fire. Boil it again and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Be sure to skim off the foam. After that, put the rowan back in a saucepan with syrup and boil for another 25-30 minutes. Pour the resulting jam hot into previously sterilized jars and close the lids.
