Marrow or Courgette Jam with Lemon & Ginger
Marrow or Courgette Jam sounds odd if you’ve never heard of it before. But don’t worry, this golden coloured preserve doesn’t taste of vegetables!
Marrow or oversized courgette, along with apple, is simply a base for the zingy lemon and ginger flavour of this jam.
Great slathered on bread and butter or scones, in a Victoria sandwich or on thick Greek-style yogurt or porridge.
Jump to Recipe
I’ve called this recipe Marrow or Courgette Jam because you can really use either vegetable.
I first made it years ago when a neighbour gave us one of their homegrown marrows. These days, I make a batch when we’ve neglected to pick a courgette in our little vegetable plot so it’s gone unfeasibly large.
Those of you with greater horticultural knowledge than I will probably know the difference between marrows and overgrown courgettes. But for me, they’re both just big, watery vegetables with little flavour and a not very interesting texture.
It’s hard to believe that this year’s yellow courgette plants, with only a few finger-length fruits when we got back from our Summer holiday, are now producing monsters that can weigh over a kilogram each when we forget to pick for a few days.
So, like thousands of home cooks before me, I turn the big beasts into sweet, golden coloured Courgette Jam.
By the way, although I’ve used yellow courgette, even if you use marrow or green courgette your jam will still be yellowy orange like this. That’s because the vegetable is peeled before cooking.
Update August 2021: check out my new recipe HOT & SPICY COURGETTE CHUTNEY!
BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO JAM MAKING
If you’ve never made jam before, you’ll find it’s really not difficult. Although I give full instructions in this post, you can take a look at my Beginner’s Guide to Jam Making here.
Here’s the basics anyway:
- Jam is made by cooking fruit or vegetables with sugar until set.
- Fruits (and some veg) contain various amounts of a natural setting agent called pectin. This is released during the cooking.
- After cooking, we need to test the jam to see if it’s reached ‘setting point’. This means that the jam will not be runny once it’s potted up and cooled down.
Because this Courgette Jam contains cooking apples (which are high in pectin) and lemon (whose acidity helps to release pectin) you should have no problems getting it to set. This means it’s fine to use ordinary granulated sugar.
But, for a belt and braces approach, you can buy sugar labelled ‘jam sugar’. This had had pectin added to it.
MARROW OR COURGETTE JAM WITH LEMON & GINGER
The post I’ve linked to above will tell you what equipment you’ll need for making any sort of jam. The only additional thing you’ll need for Marrow or Courgette Jam with Lemon & Ginger is a small piece of muslin cloth.
You’ll use this to wrap up the fresh ginger root and lemon peel. The package is placed in the pan with the chopped vegetable and apple where it gives out its refreshing flavour as the jam cooks.
If you don’t have any muslin then a clean handkerchief will do. You could also just grate in the fresh ginger (which will give a stronger ginger taste) and put the peel straight into the pan (remembering to fish it out before potting up the finished jam).
The recipe, which uses one kilo of courgette (that’s the weight as picked, i.e. before prepping it) and two cooking apples, should give you four standard sized jars of jam. If you want to make more, then just multiply everything up.
Unlike chutneys, jams don’t need time to mature so you can enjoy as soon as they’re cooled. They’re best stored in a cool, dark place. A kitchen cupboard away from radiators and not near the oven is usually fine.
Stored like this, your jam will keep for at least a year and usually quite a lot longer than that.
Despite its vegetable content, you can use Marrow or Courgette Jam as you would any other sweet preserve. Eat it on bread, toast, scones or dollop on porridge or yogurt.
I think Courgette Jam with Lemon & Ginger is especially good as the filling in a Victoria Sandwich cake along with vanilla buttercream.
Have you made Marrow or Courgette Jam with Lemon & Ginger?
Leave a comment to let me know what you thought, and don’t forget to rate the recipe!
Marrow or Courgette Jam with Lemon & Ginger
Marrow or oversized courgette, along with apple, is a base for this zingy lemon and ginger flavoured jam. Great slathered on bread and butter or scones, in a Victoria sandwich, or dolloped on thick Greek-style yogurt or porridge.
Ingredients
- 1 kg marrow or large courgette weight before preparing
- 2 large cooking apples approx 400g in total before preparing
- 30 g ginger root bruised with a rolling pin or similar
- 2 lemons
- 100 ml water
- 1 kg granulated sugar, jam sugar or preserving sugar
Instructions
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Put 2 or 3 small saucers in the freezer; they'll be used to quickly cool
teaspoons of jam to find when the setting point has been reached. -
Put 4 washed, rinsed and drained jars and lids on a baking tray and place in the oven at its lowest setting.
Turn off the oven when the jars are hot, but leave them inside until you're ready to pot the finished jam.
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Peel the marrow or courgette.
Cut it open, remove the seeds and discard them.
Chop the flesh into small pieces and put into a large, wide pan.
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Peel and core the apples, chop finely and put in the pan with the marrow or courgette.
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Remove the peel from one of the lemons, leaving behind as much of the bitter pith as you can.
Put the peel in a piece of muslin cloth along with the bruised ginger, tie it up (use string if necessary) and add it to the pan.
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Stir in the water then switch on the heat. Gently cook until both the marrow or courgette and the apple are very soft (approx 30 min). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
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Take off the heat, push the muslin bundle to one side and mash the contents of the pan with a potato masher.
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Add the juice of both lemons and tip in the sugar.
Stir until the sugar dissolves, then put the pan back on the heat.
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Turn up the heat and bring the contents to a boil – you can put a lid on for this stage to speed it up.
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As soon as the jam has come to the boil, take the lid off and keep at a rolling boil until setting point is reached (15 - 30 min).
To test for setting point:
Take the saucepan off the heat.
Flake test: Take some jam on a wooden spoon, cool it a little, then let it fall off the edge of the spoon. If the final bits of jam come together into 'flakes' rather than running off in a stream then proceed to the Saucer test. If it doesn't flake, boil for another 4-5min then test again.
Saucer test: Take one of the cold saucers from the freezer, put a teaspoon of jam on it to cool then gently push the jam with your finger. If it wrinkles then setting point has been reached. If not, boil for another 4-5 min then test again.
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Once setting point has been reached, remove the muslin bundle, take your jars from the oven and pack the jam into them. Protecting your hands, put the lids on and leave to cool.
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When the jars are cold, tighten the lids a little more if possible. Label and store in a cool, dark place.
Ready to use immediately but unopened jars should keep at least a year.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? YOU MAY LIKE THESE
Ringing the changes with orange and no ginger.
Used the juice from two large oranges instead of the water and added shredded orange peel as well.
After mashing, which did not appear to damage the shredded orange peel added sugar and juice of two lemons.
Seemed very runny at setting temperature. Waiting until it is cold to see how it turned out, but initial signs are good
Made more than I expected,
Hope you enjoy it!
Even at setting point, warm jam will still be runny. Only when it’s cold can you see if it’s set properly which is why it’s best to completely cool and test a spoonful when you think it might be ready. Fingers crossed it worked for you!
Made with oranges as above. Too runny, so reboiled to reduce and added juice of another lemon. Achieved a good set. Very happy with flavour.
Have got a new Marlin pan, this was first use. Very different from my old stainless preserving pan, with its frequent sticking and burning.
Glad to hear it all came good in the end! Many thanks for trying my recipe and giving your feedback!
I remember my Mum making this years ago. So because I had a home grown courgette in my garden that I had grown to about 1.5 kg in weight, I decided to give your recipe a go. I decided to grate up the ginger and finely shred some of the lemon peel as I was a bit concerned whether the marrow on its own might be a bit bland! ( I also like lemon marmalade!). The result was a huge success, well liked by my Grandchildren ( and myself , of course), so a huge thank you for the initial recipe.
You’re welcome! So pleased it was a hit with everyone!
Had a glut of courgettes and made this jam. Delicious and a favourite of all the family. Easy to make and a wonderful colour.
Thank you for your lovely comments! So glad my jam recipe was a hit!
Easy recipe to follow , First time making this recipe , such a beautiful colour and tastes absolutely delicious 😋
Thank you, Shelley! So pleased to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Hard to believe the humble marrow or courgette can make such a delicious jam, isn’t it?
Easy to make but very gingery . If I make it again I will reduce ginger by half .
Thanks for your feedback – I guess everyone has different ideas about how gingery a ginger jam should be. Some who’ve left comments grate in the ginger to get even more ginger flavour rather than just having it in the muslin and discarding!
Best thing about this recipe is that I’ve managed to find a use for 2kg of overgrown courgettes – so thank you. I grated the ginger and added the zested lemon peel directly into the jam as I wanted a stronger flavour to make up for the blandness of the marrow and the sweetness of the sugar. Unfortunately it’s still far too sweet for me but my husband loves it, as will my grandchildren no doubt – provided I don’t use the word “marrow” anywhere on the label!
I’m afraid it’s in the nature of traditional jams that they’re sweet as it’s the sugar which preserves them. Glad the more sweet-toothed members of your family enjoyed it anyway!
Made this jam for the 1st time yesterday, I was concerned it would be runny but was pleasantly surprised how firm it was when cold.
I used a mixture of marrow and courgette, would never have thought veggies would make such good jam
Thank you for your feedback and for rating the recipe, Anne!
Pleased to have introduced you to the delights of veggie jam 😀
New to Jam Making and this recipe was my first attempt. My heavenly mum made marrow jam many moons ago when I was a child and her marrow jam had great flavour but I didn’t ever know her recipe., very sweet but my lasting memory it required lots of effort breaking it out of the jam pot .
I was initially inspired when I came across marrow plants in my local garden centre this summer and rekindled my passion for giving jam making a try if the marrows grew successfully , plus I have had great success 2yrs running growing courgettes from seed. I went in search online looking for a recipe for “Marrow Jam” when I had an amazing marrow crop.
Your recipe inspired the most because of the additional ( Apple, Ginger & Lemon ) ingredients which are favourite foods. I followed your recipe and great tips on jam making which has been a great success. I had forgotten to mash the veg & apples at the start of the recipe but went in later and blitzed them, I needed to boil for along time before getting a good set point, maybe more lemon required in future but I just boiled for longer and got there in the end. My first batch was from a 2.5kg Marrow with 11 pots of jam. Very delicious indeed. I named my jam “Momolicious Marrow Jam, Spread on Bits, Saucy on Ice Cream” in memory of my late mum.
Kind Regards for your Recipe and inspiration. Marie xx
Thank you for your lovely feedback, the story about your mum and how you came to make it. So glad you thought it was good enough to name it in honour of your mum 🙂.
You’re right about the lemon: adding more helps to release more pectin from the apple.
Thanks again for your lovely comment.
Lynne
I don’t seem to be able to get my jam at setting point, what am I doing wrong 😑
Hi Wendy,
Are you sure you don’t just need to boil it for longer?
When you’re testing for a set, do you make sure the sample of jam is completely cold? If still warm, it will be runny.
If you’ve already potted it up, left it to go cold and it definitely hasn’t set, you could try boiling it up again with the juice of another lemon or two. Make sure you wash and sterilise the jars again before re-potting.
Hope this helps, but let me know how you get on.
I learned how to make this jam from my mother. I see that your instructions are the best ever. So simple. I must make the next batch soon using your method. I put the courgettes, lemon juice, rind, grated ginger and sugar into a pan and stir. Then tomorrow or the next day, I boil it up to setting point and put it into the jars. I take a short cut and heat the jars in the microwave. No one can guess that it is from a courgette. But your method will bring a whole new dimension to jam making. Thank you so very much.
Thank you for your kind words, Eileen!
I like your tip of heating the jars in the microwave: I did wonder if anyone did this and might try it myself.
Many thanks for getting in touch.
My first attempt at courgette growing and jam making and this was amazing . Recipe was simple to follow and jam looks and tastes fantastic. What a great use for the megacourgettes I seem to have grown in vast quantities
That’s wonderful to hear, Anna! It really is a great jam and even more satisfying when you can use your homegrown veg.
Thanks so much for taking the time to get in touch!
Wow first attempt at this recipe absolutely loved it the kids can’t get enough…. gave a jar to the neighbours she won’t even share it with her kids can’t wait to make another batch.
That’s fantastic that you and the kids love it – and the neighbours!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment & rate the recipe, Maxine ❤️
This was my first attempt ever at making jam! We received a 1.5 kg marrow and, as an American, “marrow jam” wasn’t even on my radar. Very pleased with the results!!
Pleased to have introduced you to the delights of marrow jam!
Many thanks for taking the time comment and rate the recipe. 🙂
How easy was that!! and so delicious. I also will be making more.
That’s great to hear, Ricki!
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback.
Thank you for this recipe. I have my first allotment this year and lots of courgette ,so this recipe is just perfect 👌
Thank you for giving your feedback Clara and well done for having lots of courgette in your first allotment!
So pleased you enjoyed the recipe.
Due to citrus allergies, would this recipe be too badly impacted leaving out the lemon?
I can’t wait to give this a try.
Hi Maria,
I’ve never tried it without the lemon, but I think a ginger only version would be fine.
If you like stem ginger from a jar, you could even use that instead of the root ginger to make it more gingery! I used 3 balls of stem ginger, chopped and added to the rest of the ingredients, in this Rhubarb, Apple & Ginger Jam and it’s lovely https://moorlandseater.com/rhubarb-apple-ginger-jam/
Do come back and let me know how you got on if you do have a go!
Was a bit dubious and have a glut of courgettes/marrows so just followed the recipe quantities this being the first time. Absolutely delicious (grated the ginger and used the peel of 2 lemons as we like strong flavours) – will be making another batch in a few days – with double or triple quantities.
Hi Alison,
yes, it does take a bit of a leap of faith the first time you make a sweet preserve with veggies! But glad you found it worth it and enjoyed the recipe.
Thanks so much for taking time to comment and rate the recipe!
What a wonderful addition to my 1001 ways of dealing with a courgette! So easy and very , very tasty. I had no muslin and no hankies so grated the ginger (we love it anyway) and removed the lemon peel bits. However, when I make my next batch (very soon!) I’m going to finely shred the peek and leave it it – it tastes wonderful. Thank you for a lovely recipe 😊
Thank you Joanne, so glad you enjoyed the recipe and will be making another batch!
I made this out of desperation and an enormous amount of courgettes growing relentlessly in my garden. To my astonishment, it is absolutely delicious! Rather like a gingery marmalade, so we can get courgettes slipped into breakfast as well. Thank you so much for this recipe, I love it!
That’s wonderful news, Carole!
I doubt anyone would guess it’s got courgette in, and I agree it’s absolutely delicious 🙂
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment & rate the recipe!
I made the marrow or courgette jam for the first time today, so easy to make and delicious
That’s lovely to hear, Amanda! So glad you liked it.
Thanks very much for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe 🙂