Chef Dave, this one is for you. Guess what? Blackberries were ON SALE the other day! And you guessed it! I bought TONS and TONS of them. Yes, it seems I start every post that way. It’s just that I am a sucker for a good deal. When these blackberries were only $.70 a pound instead of their usual $3 per pound, I bought 15 pounds of them. What I didn’t immediately turn into pies and treats, I made into jam. Lots of jam. More jam that any sane person would eat in a year. And even after making all this jam, I still have a gallon or two of blackberries in my freezer!
If you are new to making jam, follow the instructions below exactly. If you are a jam-making veteran, try slipping new flavors into your blackberry jam to change it up – how about some cardamom or basil or orange zest or…. Be creative, but before you go overboard, make sure you try a small amount ruining all eight jars of jam!
blackberry jam
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
9 cups crushed blackberries (it’s okay if some of them aren’t completely ripe – they’ll help your jam gel better!)
6 cups granulated sugar
Prepare canner, jars, and lids.
In a large, deep, stainless steel saucepan, combine the blackberries and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, mashing berries as you stir.
Remove from heat and test gel. If it’s not ready, keep boiling it until it passes the gel test. Once the gel stage has been reached, skim off foam.
Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
Place jars in canner and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil and keep boiling it for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.
1 response so far ↓
1 Chef Dave // Aug 13, 2010 at 2:27 pm
I can appreciate the blackberryness of the jam, for sure. But really, no blackberrys bought at a store will rival those picked fresh from a bush on a delta beach.
If you have lots left, I suggest a cobbler:
– Fill an over-proof dish with blackberries. No need to mash em or anything.
– Add sugar to desired sweetness (it will reduce, so use a little less than you think you want.)
– Top with white cake mix powder. Or yellow. Or one of them fancy types.
– Put in a 350 oven (uncovered) until the cake mix is done; about 30-45min (use the toothpick test.)
Let cool a bit and serve warm with ice cream. Leftovers store well in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave.
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