There is just something about summer time and freshly picked wild berries. When we moved into our house late summer, we had lots of wild blackberry bushes growing. Sadly, all the berries were gone by then. I almost tore them all out when I realized how wonderful it would be to have an abundance of blackberries available right in our backyard. So I have trimmed, watered, and waited for them to begin to flourish with summer. The kids began to see the berries grow and got so excited because for months I told them we would make blackberry jam, blackberry pancakes and muffins, and even try making a blackberry pie! As the berries just began turning ripe, we picked some yesterday to try. We had enough for one jar of jam so we got in the kitchen and had fun. I had never made jam or even thought I’d be that “mom”, but what is better than organic, homemade jam that you can share with the whole family?
I did a bit of research before we started. We only used three ingredients and did not use Pectin because blackberries naturally have a lot of Pectin already. I had all three of the ingredients plus the 16 oz jar sitting in our garage so this jam cost us nothing. Let me just say, it is so good! I was so nervous to give it a try because I am very picky and often hate the texture of homemade canned jams. The flavor is out of this world. The texture and sweet blackberry flavor is much better than store bought. The jam ended up perfectly sweet and within moments the kids were dipping their finger in.
With this batch I did use organic cane sugar but you could substitute with honey, maple syrup, a plant based sugar substitute, or even just not sweeten it at all as the blackberries are very sweet on their own. My next batch I plan on using a keto friendly sugar substitute to give a low carb jam a try. For now, we will enjoy some sweetness for the weekend!
Wild Blackberry Jam
Ingredients:
•3 cups of cleaned blackberries
•1 cup of sugar
•1 tbsp of lemon juice
Instructions:
1. Combine the blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a heated sauce pan. I recommend leaving plenty of head space above the mixture while cooking.
2. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat to medium-low to simmer the mixture until it is a jam/jelly like substance. Depending on how much sugar you put in, it should take around 15-20 minutes. I recommend stirring often and making sure it doesn’t over cook. I didn’t leave the kitchen while I make jam.
3. Once the jam is ready, pour it into a prepared canning jar. Leave about 1/4 inch headspace. Put in bowl of cold water or put in fridge.
Note: You can adjust the sweetness to your liking. You do not need sugar or lemon juice but I did use it since this jar of jam is intended for my kids and husband. It could be perfectly sweet with less sugar or even without. Although you don’t need lemon juice, I find it helps bring the flavor of the blackberries out. I talked to a few people that add 1/4 cup butter as it boil but that is definitely not needed in my opinion.
Enjoy on toast, pancakes, biscuits, ice cream, and just about anything you want! These jam jars are perfect for long term storing and lasts much longer than store bought. The flavor makes me want to never purchase jam or jelly at a grocery store again. I love that I am able to know exactly what went into the jam and that it is organic for a cheap price.
Now, what should I can next?
Xoxo
Christian
Memories With The Mulkeys 