Posted by Suzanne McMinn @ 5:05 am | Permalink
Tags: blackberries
Desserts, Jams & Jellies, The Farmhouse Table
It’s blackberry time! I love all things blackberry. This year, we trekked over to the goat farm because we’d heard about their fabulous, magical blackberries, hoardes of them that just fell into your bucket. Okay, they didn’t say that, but they said they had a lot of blackberries, and wow, was that true.
As with all good blackberry patches, getting there was half the battle.
We went over the hill and behind the barn and then down, down, down this path. Really, that’s a path. It got narrower and steeper then down some more and through wild overgrowth where you couldn’t even see a path and then the angels sang and the blackberries fell into our buckets. Okay, they still didn’t fall into our buckets, but it was a fabulous blackberry patch. The kind of patch that feeds into your blackberry addiction and you pick and pick and have to get those other ones, the ones that are hard to reach, and you find yourself walking further and further into brambles. And if you have to throw yourself on the ground and wallow in the brambles to get that last, best berry, you will. Because it’s that good.
And then you realize you have to walk back up that long, steep hill outta there and you think you’ll die.
Then you miraculously survive and go home to make jam.
How to make Blackberry Jam:
5 cups blackberries
7 cups sugar
1 package fruit pectin
This same recipe works for raspberries, boysenberries, dewberries, and youngberries, too. If you’ve never canned before, check out my How to Can: Hot Water Bath Method!
Clean blackberries. Get your water boiling in your canning pot, rack tucked inside. Boil lids in a small pan then remove to dry on a paper towel using tongs. While water is coming to a boil in your big pot, place blackberries in another large pot. Add pectin and bring to a full, rolling boil. (Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to reduce foaming, if desired.) Meanwhile, get your sugar measured and ready. As soon as blackberries and pectin are at the boil, add sugar all at once. Return to boil and keep at the full, rolling boil for one minute. Remove from heat and ladle immediately into clean, sterilized jars. Place lids on top, screw on bands, and lower onto rack in your pot of boiling water. Cover and boil 10 minutes.
Makes approximately 8 half-pints.
Variations on the standard blackberry jam recipe:
I got these great ideas from Missy at the goat farm!
Spiced Blackberry Jam–add 1/2 cup ground cinnamon and 2 tablespoons cloves. (Add spices in with the sugar step.)
For these variations, add the ingredients in along with the berries and pectin in the first step.
Blackberry-Basil Jam–add 1 cup finely chopped fresh basil.
Blackberry-Jalapeno Jam–add 1 finely chopped large jalapeno.
Blackberry-Grand Marnier Jam–add 1 cup Grand Marnier (or other alcohol of choice!)
I can’t let fresh blackberries pass by without saving some out for a sweet, warm, juicy crumble, and you can use this same quick and easy crumble recipe for other berries, apples, pears, apricots, etc.
How to make Fruit Crumble:
2 cups fresh fruit
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
Place fruit in a 9-inch greased pie pan. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and egg.
Stir into a crumbly mixture. Spoon over fruit in pie dish.
Cut butter over the fruit crumble. This is a whole stick of butter. Keep going. Do not fear the butter. It’s gonna be soooooo good!! Bake at 350-degrees for 30-40 minutes, until crumble top turns golden brown. Top with vanilla ice cream! (HEAVEN!)
This is the quickest, easiest, and downright yummiest blackberry recipe I know. It’s my favorite and I make it as often as I can. I love it!
What do you love to do with blackberries? Do you have any other blackberry jam variations you use? Do you go blackberry picking? Do you get addicted and wallow in the brambles to get that last, best berry? Inquiring minds need to know!
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