A simple homemade blackberry jam recipe bursting with the flavour, plus can be found free in the British hedgerows!
Easy Blackberry Jam Recipe (Just 3 Ingredients)
- Total Time: 25 Minutes
- Yield: 40 1x
Description
There is something about blackberry season that always takes me straight back to childhood.
My grandma would disappear into the kitchen with bowls full of freshly picked brambles from the hedgerows, and before long the whole house would smell of bubbling fruit and sugar. By the end of the day, neat rows of homemade preserves would be cooling on the worktops before finding their place in the cold pantry, ready for the months ahead. I can still remember opening that pantry door and seeing shelves lined with jars of jams, chutneys and pickles. It felt like a little treasure trove in that pantry!
Now, every year as the blackberries begin to ripen, I find myself doing exactly the same.
Whether you call it “blackberry jam” or the more traditional “bramble jam”, this simple recipe is one I come back to year after year. It uses just a handful of ingredients, lets the fruit shine, and gives you beautifully rich, glossy jam that is perfect spread over warm toast, freshly baked bread or homemade scones. It also is lovely as a jam filling in cakes and desserts.
If you are lucky enough to have wild blackberries growing nearby, even better. There is nothing like a free forage… however, please see my notes below. There really is something rather special about turning a basket of freshly picked fruit into jars of homemade jam that will remind you of summer long after autumn has arrived.
Ingredients
- 500g fresh blackberries
- 500g granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
Makes approximately 4 x 250ml jars
Equipment
- Large preserving pan or heavy based saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Sterilised jam jars
- Jam funnel if using
- Saucer chilled in the freezer for testing the setting point
- Jam thermometer to be safe with setting points.
Instructions
- Wash the blackberries gently and remove any leaves, stalks or damaged fruit.
- Place the blackberries into a large preserving pan or heavy based saucepan with the juice of half a lemon. There is no need to add any water. The blackberries will begin to release their own juice as they warm.
- Cook gently over a low to medium heat for around 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the blackberries have softened and released plenty of juice.
- I like to gently crush some of the blackberries with the back of my spoon as they cook. You can leave more of the berries intact if you prefer a chunkier blackberry jam.
- Add the granulated sugar and keep the heat fairly low while stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Try not to bring the jam to a full boil at this stage. You want the sugar crystals to dissolve before you start the rapid boiling stage, as this helps give you a lovely smooth jam rather than a grainy one.
- Once the sugar has completely dissolved, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a good rolling boil. This means the jam should continue bubbling vigorously even when you stir it.
- If you are using a jam thermometer, continue boiling until the jam reaches approximately 105°C, the traditional setting temperature for jam.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have a jam thermometer, though, as you can also use the traditional chilled saucer test.
- Place a small saucer in the fridge or freezer before you start making your jam. When you think the jam is ready, remove the pan from the heat and spoon a small amount onto the cold saucer.
- Leave it for around 30 seconds and then gently push the jam with your fingertip. (I show this in the video below) If the surface wrinkles and the jam doesn’t immediately run back into place, it has reached setting point.
- If it is still too runny, return the pan to the heat and boil for another couple of minutes before testing again.
- Once your jam has reached setting point, remove it from the heat. If you have any foam sitting on the surface, you can skim this off with a spoon.
- Leave the jam to stand for a few minutes before carefully ladling it into warm, sterilised jars. A jam funnel is very handy here and saves having sticky jam running down the sides of your jars.
- Seal your jars while the jam is still hot and allow them to cool completely before labelling and storing.
Notes
- If you are picking wild blackberries, look for plump, deep coloured berries that come away from the plant easily. Avoid picking fruit close to busy roads or anywhere you think it may have been sprayed, or have car fumes!
- Don’t worry if all your blackberries aren’t absolutely identical. In fact, having a few slightly less ripe berries amongst the ripe ones can be useful because less ripe fruit generally contains more natural pectin.
- Don’t rush the stage where you dissolve the sugar. Keep the temperature gentle and make sure the sugar has dissolved before bringing the jam to its rolling boil.
- And don’t become too fixated on the clock. Blackberries vary in their water and pectin content, so one batch may reach setting point sooner than another. Your thermometer and chilled saucer are much better guides than an exact number of minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Category: Jams and Preserves
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: British
How To Sterilise Jam Jars
Always use clean, sterilised jars when making preserves.
Wash your jars and lids thoroughly in hot soapy water and rinse well. The jars can then be sterilised in the oven at around 140°C for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Keep the jars warm until you are ready to fill them. Adding very hot jam to a cold glass jar can cause the glass to crack.
Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the particular preserving jars and lids you are using.
How To Store Homemade Blackberry Jam
Once completely cool, store your unopened jars of blackberry jam in a cool, dark cupboard.
Once a jar has been opened, keep it in the refrigerator and use it within a few weeks.
Always check homemade preserves before eating and discard any jar if the seal has failed or you notice signs of spoilage.
What Can I Serve With Blackberry Jam?
For me, the obvious answer is a thick slice of freshly baked bread or toast with a generous spoonful of blackberry jam.
It is also wonderful with homemade scones, spooned over Greek yoghurt or porridge, or used as a filling for cakes and tarts.
And when you open a jar several months from now, there is something rather lovely about remembering that the blackberries inside it came from a summer hedgerow.
Is bramble jam the same as blackberry jam?
Yes. Bramble is the traditional name often used in Britain for the plant on which blackberries grow, and the fruit itself is also commonly referred to as brambles. Blackberry jam and bramble jam therefore generally refer to the same preserve.
Can I make blackberry jam without pectin?
Yes. This recipe doesn’t use added pectin or jam sugar. I use fresh lemon juice and cook the jam to its setting point, checking it with a jam thermometer and the chilled saucer test.
What temperature should blackberry jam reach?
Jam generally reaches its setting point at approximately 105°C. A jam thermometer makes this particularly easy to check, although I still like the traditional chilled saucer test as an additional indication that my jam has set properly.
Can I use frozen blackberries to make jam?
Yes. Frozen blackberries can be used for homemade blackberry jam. Allow them to thaw and use the juices released from the fruit as well. You may find that the time required to reach setting point varies slightly compared with using freshly picked blackberries.
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