Yet again I have been in the hedgerows picking some great produce! Plump juicy blackberries are great for picking now, and when you look at what the supermarkets are charging for them, then you may be in for a shock. I picked a kilo of the best uncultivated fresh blackberries for absolutely nothing yesterday, whereas a leading supermarket was charging £2.50 per 150g. I almost dropped through the floor. My stash of blackberries in my freezer, will see me through the winter months for puddings and pies, but I have also made some fabulous jam and thought I would share the recipe with you.
Blackberry Jam Recipe Ingredients
1kg of Blackberries
1Kg of Jam Sugar (Has the added pectin)
Juice of 3 lemons
Sterilised jam jars
Blackberry Jam Recipe Method
Place a small side plate in the freezer
Wash the blackberries and strain them to ensure no bugs are lurking within them. I tend to put the blackberries in a bowl of water and leave them for a few minutes, that way any insect will feel like it has been drowned and floats to the surface.
Get a large stainless steel pan and place the blackberries in with the lemon juice. Simmer gently, stirring from time to time for around 5 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to stir and cook on a low heat, for around 10 minutes until all the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to a gentle boil, ensuring that you keep stirring. The temperature for the jam needs to reach around 105 but you will see it start to thicken as it coats the back of a spoon. You may see a slight blackberry scum on the surface, scoop it up and discard it.
To test to see if the jam will set, remove the side plate from the freezer and place a blob of jam on it. After a few seconds it should firm up to a jam consistency. If it hasn’t, then continue cooking for a further few minutes.
Leave the jam in the pan to cool for a good ten minutes or so, before transferring it to sterilised jam jars. Place a greaseproof lid on the top, along with your lid and then store in a cool dark place.