How should I make jam out of coffee cherries or coffee cherry husks?
I would like to make a jam (or perhaps more like a preserve/conserve or even marmalade; see this question for distinction) out of either
- the entire, whole coffee cherry (a.k.a. coffee berry; beans and all), or
- the skin and pulp of coffee cherries (i.e., the flesh of the fruit -- everything except for the beans. Often discarded from "normal" coffee production, these skin, pulp, and pectin remnants seem to be called "husks", which sounds a little odd or misleading; thanks to @Jefromi for articulating this).
Edit: I tried to clarify the usage of fruit and husks; I'm trying to use the canonical terms as best as I understand them.
A bit of background for completeness: coffee beans (really seeds) grow inside a fruit that grows on the coffee tree. This fruit of the coffee tree is commonly called a coffee cherry or coffee berry, (looking a bit like a red cranberry or cherry when ripe). There are good pictures on that linked Wikipedia page, and a botanical diagram at wikia.
I found a source of dried coffee cherry husks (i.e., the dried skin and pulp of the fruit). In general, one can infuse these husks (or the whole, dried fruits), as a tisane, to make coffee cherry tea (also called cascara, or qishr -- see another Coffee.SE question for more on coffee cherry tea). I haven't (yet?) found any source of whole coffee cherries, so I intend to start with the husks (dried skin and pulp only). I could even consider gelling the brewed coffee-cherry tea as a jelly, if all else fails.
My questions are:
- Has anyone (around here) made jam/preserves with coffee cherries or the pulp/husks?
- Does anyone know the properties of coffee cherry fruit/husks, as pertain to jam-making? E.g., natural pectin content, if the skin/pulp is starchy or totally inedible, or other relevant factors.
- Are there any traditional methods for doing this? E.g., recommended sugars to use, recommend gelling agents (pectin, agar, gelatine, ...), how to prepare the coffee fruit/husks for use, etc.
The credit for this question (and my obsession therewith) goes entirely to @EricPlaton over at Coffee.SE, by his original question about the topic, with a bit of suggestion by @Jefromi to ask about foodstuff-process-related topics here at SA. It sounds coffee cherry jam is made locally in some coffee-producing countries, so this concept isn't novel; however, prepared jam doesn't seem to be available more broadly.
As a side note, I've had coffee jelly, which is produced using (conventional, roasted, brewed) coffee and agar or gelatine, but that is not what I'm asking about. I'm also not here talking about using the roasted or un-roated beans themselves, which might be a separate, fascinating (to me) topic...
Best Answer
We have a coffee tree we have been growing in our sun-room for 10 years. This year after we harvested the coffee cherries and hulled the beans, I decided to try making coffee cherry jelly. I didn't find any good recipes on the internet, so I decided to "wing it" and it turned out fantastic. This is what I did: I had about 2 cups of coffee cherries. I put them in a pan and covered them with about 3 cups of water. I brought them to a boil and let them simmer for about 30 minutes, then let them cool in the water. I put a strainer over a bowl and strained off the liquid from the coffee cherries and then squeezed the cherries to get all the juice out. Throw away the squeezed out coffee cherries and keep the liquid. The liquid will be a reddish-brown and be a bit cloudy, but don't worry, it will clear up as you make the jelly. Next, I measured the liquid and had about 2-3/4 cups. I added 1/4 cup of organic lemon juice to the liquid, stirred in 1/3 cup of powdered pectin. Stir to dissolve the pectin then bring it to a full boil. Use a really large pot for this because it will rise up when at a full boil. When at a full boil stir in 5 cups of sugar, all at once. Bring back to a full, rolling boil that can not be stirred down and boil like this for one minute. Take pot off the heat and spoon the jelly into clean jelly jars. It will make about 5 small jars of jelly. Once the sugar goes in, the jelly should turn clear. Skim off any foam that might form on top before pouring into jars. Allow to cool and set. The color will be a beautiful, chestnut red and the flavor is mild, almost like honey. Enjoy!
Pictures about "How should I make jam out of coffee cherries or coffee cherry husks?"
What can I do with coffee cherries?
In some cases, coffee cherries can be turned into compost and used on the farm as fertilizer. In some instances, the cherries can be dried and brewed as a \u201ctea.\u201d In Ethiopia \u2013 coffee's birthplace \u2013 the cherries have for centuries been dried and brewed as a beverage called Qishr.Is the coffee cherry edible?
Yes, you can eat raw coffee cherries, since they are essentially a fruit.What happens to coffee cherry pulp?
What Happens to the Pulp? Unfortunately, most of the pulp is discarded into waterways, polluting them. Some farmers use it as a fertilizer and others have found more innovative ways of using this by-product of coffee production.What is the difference between coffee beans and coffee cherries?
What we call a coffee bean is actually the seeds of a cherry-like fruit. Coffee trees produce berries, called coffee cherries, that turn bright red when they are ripe and ready to pick. The fruit is found in clusters along the branches of the tree. The skin of a coffee cherry (the exocarp) is thick and bitter.Can you eat a coffee cherry? Coffee is a fruit, so why do we drink it 🤔
More answers regarding how should I make jam out of coffee cherries or coffee cherry husks?
Answer 2
I know this is an old post, but yesterday I made Coffee Cherry Jelly and this recipe worked quite well. I took inspiration from the Yemeni recipe for Qishr and I used fresh coffee cherry skins that I had frozen after each harvesting batch of coffee.
The recipe was:
- Put all the coffee cherry skins in a pot
- Fill the pot with filtered water to just cover the skins
- Add 1 cinnamon quill
- Add 1 small finger of ginger, grated (about 2 tablespoons worth)
- Boil/simmer for 1 hour
- Strain the liquid with a jelly cloth into a fresh bowl
- Put the liquid into a clean pot, measuring how many cups of liquid you have
- For each cup of liquid, also add 1 cup of white sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- Bring the liquid to a boil, boil vigorously for at least 20 minutes
- Test the jelly on a cold plate to see if it has set
- If it has not set, add pectin / Jam Setter, and follow instructions until the jelly sets
Once you meet setting temperature, take the jelly off the heat and pour into sterilized jars.
Let it cool, and enjoy :)
Answer 3
In India, there are typical traditional ways of Making Jam, Sauce, Candies of Fruits like Pickling, Drying, etc. In your case with Coffee Cherries, you can always try Preserving. Try the following method, Step 1: Make a 3/4 Inch Layer of Powdered Sugar in a Transparent Glass Jar Step 2: Follow it with a Layer of Coffee Cherry (Note: Coffee Cherries must be spread horizontally & not Stacked Vertically) Step 3: Repeat Steps 1 & 2 (Last Layer should always be of Sugar) Step 4: Take a Cotton Cloth & tie it on Mouth of Jar, covering Until Neck. Step 5: Expose the Jar in Sun for Few Days.
Though, the process is not Instant & very Tedious. But this slow cooking process will help to Lock the Freshness, Taste & Essentials in any Fruit in best Man-Made Way. Sugar is a Great Preservative, but White Sugar is a Silent Killer, so as an alternative one can always try Brown-Yellowish Sugar which not only is free from Chemicals, but is also a great Flavor Enhancer.
I Usually do this with Seasonal Fruits. I also add a Pinch of Salt with the Total Sugar, as this acts as a Catalyst to the whole process & also is Taste-Bud Enhancer.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Michael Burrows, Michael Burrows, Michael Burrows, Michael Burrows