Black Currant Jam- into Jelly

So something you may not know about me is that I love the flavor of black currant.  It started on my trip to Ireland when I was ten, and has not left me since.  Every time I have a friend or relative who goes to Europe, I request that they bring me back black currant flavored things, because that flavoring is not very common over here.  I can find it occasionally, and Trader Joe's recently got a black currant juice that is pretty solid, but finding it in other things is pretty rare. 

And then, at the farmer's market this morning, there they were: tiny little black currants, calling my name. vaaaaaaaal, vaaaaaaaaaaaal! buy usssssssss! they yelled.  Anthropomorphic fruit aside, I knew what I must do. 

Buy the berries. 

And then make some Jam. 

Canning supplies!

prepping for jamming.  I used this recipe, and tweaked it a little (I added some lemon juice, because I like it tart) 

Berries on the boil

Delicious jamming action. 

It was at this point that I realized that a) I couldn't find the thermometer, and b) this jam was really, really seedy.  So I made the executive decision to strain it before I put it into the jars. This resulted way less product than I had intended, but I will guard these jars with my life. 

the top one is just a little tasting amount. 

Bring on the summer of canning!