Seedless Blackberry Jam With Pectin Food

SEEDLESS BLACKBERRY JAM

Steps:

• The night before you make your jam, layer the blackberries and sugar together in a large bowl, then cover and set aside at room temperature.
• Place the berry mixture, lemon juice and thyme in a large saucepan and heat the contents slowly until the sugar has dissolved.
• Remove the thyme sprig, if you used it.
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Preferably, use a sugar thermometer. Your aim is for the mixture to reach 105°C/221°F, which is the setting temperature.
• Remove from the heat and let a small dollop cool off on the cold saucer. Push it with your finger. You want it to go wrinkly. If it doesn't, return the saucepan to the heat and boil for another 2 minutes before removing from the heat again and testing it. Repeat until you get the desired result.
• Once the jam is ready, leave to cool for 15 minutes.
• Sieve the jam and place in a sterilised jar. Store in a cool dry place and refrigerate once opened. Enjoy!

SEEDLESS BLACKBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Prepare your jars, start your lids to simmering and bring your canning pot to a boil.
• In a large, non-reactive pot (stainless steel or enameled cast iron), combine the sugar and fruit pulp and bring to a simmer. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest/juice and stir to combine.
• Let the mixture reach a boil, stirring frequently to prevent it from boiling over. When the mixture appears to be thickening a bit, add the pectin and bring it back to a roiling boil.
• Let it boil vigorously for at least five minutes to activate the pectin. Before removing from the heat, check the set using the plate or spoon test to ensure that the jam will firm up when cool.
• Fill your jars with the hot jam, wipe rims, apply lids and rings and process in a boiling water canner for ten minutes.
• Remove from canner and allow the jars to completely cool on a dishtowel-lined counter top.
• Once the jars are cool, check the seals, label them and eat jam on toast in January.

SEEDLESS BLACKBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Place the blackberries in a blender and blend until they are all crushed. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your blender.
• Strain the blackberry puree through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds - stir and press on the puree while it is in the strainer - you want to get as much puree as you can.
• Measure out the blackberry puree; you should have about 4 cups. If you don't have 4 cups add water to the puree until you have 4 cups.
• Place 3 small plates or saucers in the freezer.
• In a preserving pan, combine the blackberry puree, 1 cup of Green Apple Pectin Stock, 3 cups of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice over medium heat, stirring gently until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and boil for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes of cooking, check the set (it may take up to 30 minutes of simmering over medium high heat for the jelly/jam to reach the set stage - it depends on what kind of pan you are using and how high of heat you are using).
• Use the cold plate test to check set: take the pot of jam off the heat (if you don't remove the jam from the heat while you check the set it could over-cook and become rubbery or hard, if the jam is indeed already set) .
• Place a drop of the jam mixture on one of the saucers you've kept in the freezer, & place the plate back in the freezer for 1 minute. After 1 minute, take the saucer out of the freezer and nudge the drop of jam with your finger. If it "wrinkles" when you nudge it with your finger it is done. If the jam is not set, continue cooking over medium-high heat, checking the set again every 5 minutes.
• When the jam is set, ladle the jam into canning jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with damp paper towels to remove any jam which got on the rims or the threads. Place the lids and the bands on the jars, just tightening the bands fingertip tight.
• Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, then remove and let sit, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours before checking seals. It is important to let them sit undisturbed for 12 hours because the sealing compound on the lids is still cooling and hardening, completing the seal. While the jars cool, you will hear a "plink" type sound from each jar - this is the jars completing the vacuum seal as the final air escapes the jar. After 12 hours have passed, remove the bands and check the lids - press down in the center of the lid. If you cannot push the lid down any further, the jar is sealed. If the lid "gives" a bit, and you can push it down, the jar did not seal. You can either put the band back on the jar, and reprocess it for another 10 minutes, or you can just put it in the fridge and use it within 3 months.

BLACKBERRY JAM WITH PORT

Steps:

• Put the blackberries in a blender and blend until they are pureed. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your blender.
• Strain the blackberry puree through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds - stir and press on the puree while it is in the strainer, you want to get as much puree as you can.
• Directions for making with Pomona's Pectin:.
• Measure out 5 cups of the seedless blackberry puree into a preserving pan.
• Add the lemon juice and the calcium water and bring to a boil.
• Mix the 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of Pomona's Pectin into 2 cups of the sugar. Add to the boiling fruit mixture and stir well for 2 minutes, keeping the fruit at a low boil.
• Add the remaining 4 cups of sugar and the port and stir well until the sugar is dissolved. Return to the boil and remove from the heat.
• Place into prepared jars,leaving 1/4 inch headspace and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• Directions for making with regular pectin:.
• Measure out 5 cups of the seedless blackberry puree into a preserving pan.
• Add the lemon juice and the pectin and stir to combine well.
• bring to a boil over high heat, stirring all the while.
• Add the sugar to the fruit mixture (REMEMBER - you will need a total of 7 cups of sugar if you are making this with regular pectin! Otherwise it may not set) and stir well. Return to a hard boil, stirring constantly.
• Add the port and continue boiling & stirring for 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat and place into prepared jars,leaving 1/4 inch headspace and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

HOMEMADE BLACKBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Carefully measure out the berries, put them into a very large pot (8qt).
• Carefully measure sugar in a lg bowl.
• Add the pectin to the berries a little at a time, stirring constantly.
• Heat on hi, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a FULL boil.
• Add sugar ALL at once, stirring.
• Bring mixture back to a full hard boil, stirring constantly.
• Boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and ladle into clean, hot 8oz jars, leaving 1/4 inch space at the top.
• Wipe the rim of the jar and put canning lids and rings on fingertip tight.
• Place in canner with very hot water, make sure water is 1 inch above jars.
• Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• Remove and set them upright on a towel to set for 12 hours.

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.

BLACKBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Clean, de-stem and crush blackberries.
• In a large stainless steal or enamel pot combine crushed berries and sugar.
• bring to a boil, stirring often until sugar is dissolved.
• Cook to jell point, stirring often.
• Remove from heat, skim off foam and ladle into clean hot jars.
• Leave 1/4 inch head space.
• Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes at altitudes up to 1000 feet.