Blackberry Jam

Jam? Jelly? Preserves? The difference between jelly and jam is that in jelly the fruit comes from fruit juice. In jam, the fruit comes from the fruit pulp or crushed fruit. For preserves the fruit comes from chunks in a gel or syrup. As you’ll see we are clearly making jam. Aside from my daughter asking me to make blackberry jam, the real inspiration for this recipe comes from my friend who is a bad mofo bass player in a band called Blackberry Jam. Our attorneys are currently working on naming rights.

1. I am using 6-ounce quarter pint jars. You can use any size you like it just depends on what you are doing with the end product.
2. Bring large canning pot to a gentle boil. Submerge jars and lids in boiling water for a few minutes to sterilize.
3. Place a towel on a cookie sheet, and place the jars on the cookie sheet.

1. Gently mash the blackberries in a large cooking pot (back of spoon or potato masher works).
2. Add water and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth, strain the juice from the berries. Discard the berry pulp. You will have more juice than you need.

1. Pour juice back into clean cooking pot. Turn on heat, and add pectin stirring to incorporate fully.
2. Bring juice and pectin to a full boil. Stir constantly.
3. When you have a rolling boil that’s about to brim over, add the sugar slowly and continue stirring.
4. Once the sugar is incorporated return to a boil and stir for one minute.
5. Ladle thickened jam into the jars filling almost to the top.
6. Firmly screw on the jar tops and submerge in the boiling water of the canning pot for 10 minutes.

As mentioned above, you can use any size jar you want. I use the 6-ounce jars to give as gifts. I also made a pint jar for home use! If you’ve ever made jam you know it can get super messy, which is why I suggest putting the towel on the cookie sheet. I used an extra towel between the pot and the cookie sheet to catch the mess from ladling the jam into the jars.