Easy Blackberry N Rum Jam Without Pectin Food

EASY BLACKBERRY JAM (NO PECTIN)

Steps:

• Put 2 or 3 small plates/saucers in a freezer for "wrinkle test" (checking whether your jam has reached setting point).
• Wash and sort your blackberries, getting rid of any mushy ones or those that have seen better days.
• Put blackberries in a large pan or preserving pan if you own one and mash them up a bit using simple potato masher. This will release the juices and make them cook quicker too.
• Add sugar and lemon juice and stir well.
• Simmer blackberry jam over low-medium heat stirring from time to time until all the sugar has dissolved. It took me approximately 10 minutes.
• Slowly bring your jam mixture to rolling boil for approx. 15 minutes.
• When 15 minutes is up, take the pan off the heat and test if your jam has reached its setting point by placing a small amount of jam on the saucer straight out of the freezer. Put that plate to the fridge for 1-2 minutes, take it out and push the jam gently with your finger. If it wrinkles and stays in place it's ready, if it doesn't then continue boiling your mixture and checking it every 5 minutes until you get the set. It took me approximately 25 minutes.
• If you are using jam thermometer continue boiling your jam until temperature reaches 105C/221F at which point your jam is ready.
• Skim off any scum that might have formed on top of the jam and transfer it into hot, sterilised jars, cover with the lids and leave to cool. You will hear the clicking noise as your jars seal and there will be no bubble in the lid as you press it which is as it should be. It may take some time for it to happen from the moment you put the lids on so don't worry if it doesn't happen straight away.
• Let the jars cool completely at which point you can apply your labels.

BLACKBERRY JAM RECIPE {WITHOUT PECTIN}

Steps:

• Wash your blackberries and pick out any impurities. Natural blackberries usually don't have insects and worms in them (compared to raspberries) so the washing should be quick. Weigh the berries and place them into a big cooking pot.
• Add the whole sugar amount to the berries. Mix the content well.
• Keep the pot with the fruits on the stove, cook on slow heat for about 45 mins, while stirring at times, until you can see a rolling boil. At that point, the jam should be ready and you can take it from the heat. Test if the jam is set by dropping some on a cold plate, the jam is ready if it doesn't run. If it runs, keep for some more time to cook on low heat and repeat the test until you have the correct consistency. Setting temperature with the help of a thermometer is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.
• At this point you can either mash the cooked blackberries quickly or keep them in whole pieces. If you mash them, and you don't like the seeds, you have the option too to strain the jam. I did not strain since we enjoy the seeds in the jam.
• Before you fill the jars with the jam, drop little rum on into the lid. That will help in keeping the jam germ and mold growth free.
• Fill your clean jam jars with the blackberry jam, close well with the lid and turn the jar upside down. Keep them upside down for a few hours and then store them in a dry and cool place and keep away from direct sunlight. If you live in a humid tropical climate, please store the jam in the fridge.

BLACKBERRY JAM RECIPE WITHOUT PECTIN

Steps:

• Add blackberries, sugar and lemon juice to a saucepan. Be sure there are several inches of headspace to allow for foaming.
• Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer the jam until it reaches gel stage, stirring to keep the bubbles down. In this low sugar batch, it should take 20-30 minutes for a low sugar jam. (increasing the sugar will cause the jam to gel faster and result in a higher yield)
• Test for gel stage on a plate in the freezer.
• Pour jam into prepared canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Store in the refrigerator, or process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

EASY BLACKBERRY 'N RUM JAM (WITHOUT PECTIN)

Steps:

• Put blackberries, sugar and Rum in a stainless steel or other heavy duty pot and mash all together with a potato masher.
• heating everything to a boil on MEDIUM heat (mixture will raise quickly to the edge of the pot be careful it doesn't boil over!) constantly stir with a wooden spoon.
• reduce heat as soon as mixture has raised up, and keep at a slight boil while constantly stirring for 10-12 minutes (mixture will thicken up a tiny bit).
• transfer into sterilized mason jar (sterilized by placing jar in a pot with an inch of water and brought to a boil) mixture will be VERY HOT. BE CAREFUL.
• ad lid and lightly tighten rim.
• lid will pop down after a while. swirl jar to make sure vacuum seal holds. when it does tighten rim.
• place jar up-side-down for a couple of minutes and store right side up until use.

BLACKBERRY JAM

Steps:

• The night before you make your jam, layer the blackberries and sugar together in a very large bowl, then cover and set aside at room temperature. This helps the sugar to start dissolving so you don't run the risk of over-cooking the fruit when you actually begin to make the jam. The next morning, give everything a quick stir, then set aside again until you are ready to start cooking.
• Before you start, put a small saucer in the freezer. Take a preserving pan or a large, wide-based pan (the wider and more open the pan, the faster the jam will be ready, so a preserving pan is really ideal) and tip the berries in, scraping out all the juices and any undissolved sugar. Stir in the lemon juice, then collect all the pips and secure them inside a tea-leaf strainer or piece of muslin before adding them to the pan (cooking the pips along with the fruit extracts the pectin they contain, helping your jam to set).
• Start the blackberries over a low heat until all the sugar is completely dissolved, then bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins. Turn off the heat and spoon a little hot syrupy jam onto the chilled saucer. Once it's cool, push it with your finger. If it wrinkles a little, it's ready and has reached setting point. If it's too runny to wrinkle, return the pan to the heat and boil in 2 or 3-minute stages, removing the pan from the heat each time you do the saucer check, until the jam wrinkles.
• Skim off any excess scum, then stir in the knob of butter, if you want - this will help to dissolve any remaining scum. Leave the jam for 15 mins before ladling into sterilised jars - this allows the fruit to settle so it doesn't sink to the bottom. The jam will keep in a cool, dark place for at least 6 months. Refrigerate jars once opened.