Blackberry jam is easy to make

If you have never made jam, blackberry jam is a good one to start with. It is quick (fruit is easy to prepare and jam sets quickly), and no specialist equipment is needed.

Blackberries growing in hedgerows are plentiful now. Nice to know some things are in abundance… Obviously, check you are picking the right fruit. I don’t want you to pick the wrong berries.

Ingredients

Blackberries

Water

Juice of a lemon

Sugar

Amounts

I used 1 pound of blackberries with 1 pound of sugar and 3/4 pint of water

I used equal amounts of fruit and sugar. If you use more sugar (as most recipes suggest), you will indeed produce more jam. And maybe the jam will last longer because of the preserving quality of the sugar. But it will also be more sickly-sweet.

Personally, I prefer my version. Because I only produced a small amount, it will get scoffed quickly. And it is delicious: slightly tart, and very fruity.

(I will convert to metrics later! This blog is written in a hurry because I mistakenly published it via my WordPress App with images only! Mon dieu quel eejit…Now I am swiftly adding words.).

Method

Take the berries off the stem, give them a quick rinse and weigh them.

Put a small plate in the freezer or a cold place which will help to test if jam is set as I will explain later.

Put the blackberries in a saucepan with the water. Get it bubbling for a good 40 minutes until the water is reduced and fruit is soft.

Add the lemon juice and the sugar. Bubble and boil for ten minutes.

Take the jam off the heat while testing to see if it is set.

Test for a set by blobbing a bit of the runny jam on a very cold saucer or plate.

Prod the jam gently with a finger to see if it wrinkles. If it is set, it will wrinkle-up (oh yes, we love wrinkles) and not run in a dribble when you tip the plate.

If it is still dribbly, cook the jam for another five minutes (maybe more water needs to evaporate?) and test again.

This jam set after ten minutes just as the recipes said. It is so easy. Not like making marmalade which is a bit of a palaver.

Here are two jars filled with my home-made jam.

Slightly smug rating = 10/10.