We made two kind of jam out of the blackberry's we picked.
Recipe number one:
TO PREPARE...
Wash the jars in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sanitize them by boiling them 10 minutes. Keep the jars in hot water until they are used.
Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water(that's what the manufacturer's recommend) for 5 minutes, and use a magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out. (I think tongs will suffice.) If possible, use jar tongs and a jar funnel.
Make sure you have the sugar, pectin, new lids, rings and jars.
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Yield:
8oz jars
5 cups crushed blackberries (do not puree, crushwith a potato masher)
7 cups sugar
1 (1 3/4 ounce) package dry pectin (I use Ball but Sure Jell will work too)
1
Carefully measure out the berries, put them into a very large pot (8qt).
2
Carefully measure sugar in a lg bowl.
3
Add the pectin to the berries a little at a time, stirring constantly.
4
Heat on hi, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a FULL boil.
5
Add sugar ALL at once, stirring.
6
Bring mixture back to a full hard boil, stirring constantly.
7
Boil for 1 minute.
8
Remove from heat and ladle into clean, hot 8oz jars, leaving 1/4 inch space at the top.
9
Wipe the rim of the jar and put canning lids and rings on fingertip tight.
10
Place in canner with very hot water, make sure water is 1 inch above jars.
11
Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
12
Remove and set them upright on a towel to set for 12 hours.
Tips from a canner...
I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency I like, then I know the jam is ready. If not, I mix in a little more pectin (about 1/4 to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute.
Keep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. In general, boil them for 10 minutes, which is what SureJell (the makers of the pectin) recommend. I say "in general" because you have to
process (boil) them longer at higher altitudes than sea level, or if you use larger jars, or if you did not sanitize the jars and lids right before using them.
After the jam jars have bathed in the hot water adequately....
Lift the jars out of the water with your jar lifter tongs and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.
Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren't as good. So eat them in the first 6 months after you prepare them! Another trick is to keep the uncooked berries or other fruit in the freezer and make and can the jam as needed, so it's always fresh.
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