Blackberry season comes on strong, and if you don’t embrace it, your garden will have an understory of rotten blackberries within a month. We’ve already frozen 3 pints of berries, and made blackberry ice cream. We’re still picking 2 cups a day. Next up: jam.
This recipe we found on The Easy Homestead uses no pectin and no cane sugar. It uses honey (which we have in abundance at the moment, thank you, bees) and half an apple instead. I don’t even like jam and this stuff is great.
Blackberry Jam – from Jen at The Easy Homestead
- 2lbs Blackberries (if frozen thaw first) Author’s note: {you can replace with strawberries, raspberries, etc)
- 1 Cup Raw Honey
- 1/2 of an Organic Apple- Unpeeled and Grated {we use Fuji apples- but any will work}
- 1.5 teaspoons of lemon juice
First, prep your ingredients:
Next, put the berries, grated apple, lemon juice, and honey into a stock pot:
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally over the next 20-45 minutes. The author says her jam took about an hour to cook before it set. Ours took about 45 minutes. Smash the berries with a potato masher (we used a pastry cutter and that worked great).
She advises putting a plate into the freezer for 15 minutes or so. Take the plate out and drop a dollop of jam onto the plate to see if it sets. If it rolls around on the plate, it needs more time. If it stands up, it’s on!
The apple disintegrates and the jam is just sweet enough. This recipe does have seeds, so fair warning to those with dental concerns. Spread on toast, scones (YES!), or eat straight with a spoon.
