I’m almost embarrassed to admit how excited I get over those little, basic, skills that people have been doing as part of normal, everyday life for countless centuries. Being a newbie at all things even remotely related to homesteading, (with the exception of growing small planter gardens) taking my blackberries and turning them into something I can spread on toast (preferably San Francisco Sourdough!!!) makes me so happy!! I feel like an out-of-the-ordinary homesteading geek…..meaning if other homesteaders (I totally do not even feel that I am qualified to fit into that category) read this blog, they would probably think I’m a geek-homesteading-wanna-be! This is all such a huge experiment for me…I feel like a kid in a candy shop!!
Last summer was the first time I attempted to make blackberry jam. Looking online, I found that you can make jam with our without pectin. Pectin?? What the heck is Pectin?? So I chose not to use that unfamiliar product, and go with what I knew….berries and sugar. I found a recipe at http://savorysweetlife.com/2009/08/how-to-make-blackberry-or-raspberry-jam/ that allowed me to do just that.
Basically, its 1 cup of sugar, to 1 cup of berries and 2 tbsp. lemon juice. That’s it! Simple and to the point. I like fruit products that are a little more tart than sweet, so I reduced the sugar amount to about 3/4 of a cup (or a little less, but more than a 1/2) for each cup of berries. I also prefer seedless jam, so I blended just the berries, then smashed the liquid through a strainer leaving the seeds behind. The result was a very smooth, tart, yet sweet, delicious blackberry jam. Without Pectin, it doesn’t last as long in the fridge…but in my home, it gets eaten up pretty quickly. So here is the process…(most of these pictures were taken from last year’s jam production.)
The stars of the show….Wild Blackberries!
The Ninja blended berries!
Blended blackberries getting ready to separate the fruit from the seed.
The pulp and seeds left from working the blackberry juices through the strainer.
Now combined, sugar and blackberry juices boil for 5 minutes.
The boiled jam now simmers for 15 more minutes.
Had a bit of a spill over here…sticky mess!
And all of a sudden…it’s blackberry jam time!!!
Uhhmmm…YUMMMM!!! Blackberry jam on sourdough toast!!!
Build Me a Dream 
Comments on: "Blackberries + Sugar = Jam!!!" (7)
Yummy!
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🙂 Tomorrow…..blackberry cobbler!!
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I got really excited making my first batch of blackberry jelly today too (though I did use pectin, because that’s what my grandmother’s recipe called for)! If you’re a geek wannabe, then we both are — and I live and grew out in the country! I think doing things for yourself gives you a rush and that’s a good thing!
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I agree! It feels great to do these things on our own. I’m going to freak out (in a good way) the first time I find an egg from our chickens!!
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Heather Homestead…. EXACTLY!!!
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I’ve been canning on my own (did some when I was younger with my mom) for over a year now and I still get ridiculously excited by each jar that comes out of the canner. It just feels good to know I am providing for my family’s needs with a skill so many have lost or never even knew about.
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Lucky Robin….That is so true! I feel the same way.
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