How to make Blackberry Jam!

It is blackberry season here and I do love it. One minute you are walking along minding your own business and suddenly you notice the berries among the brambles, begging to be picked! I always go to my dad's and pick them. Usually they end up straight into a crumble or get eaten by the handful as soon as they have been washed but this time I went old school and made jam.

There’s something fun about making jam. It feels a little old fashioned like you should be wearing an apron and humming in the kitchen. My fella rang from work when he was on his lunch break and I had no intention of making jam but by the time he had rang when he was on his way home I'd made it. He thought I was mad, some sort of want to be domestic goddess but it’s one of the simplest things that I've ever made and I am going to tell you how!

It takes just two ingredients: blackberries and sugar! That’s it! With no fancy extras, no long shopping lists or fancy equipment needed. If you’ve got a bowl of blackberries and a bag of sugar you’re halfway there.

What You’ll Need!

Blackberries..

Granulated sugar (same weight as the blackberries).

Method!

Prepare the fruit!

Give your blackberries a gentle rinse and pick out any bits of leaves or stalks that snuck in. I like to soak them in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes to make sure any tiny bits of dirt or bugs come away. Let them drain well, you don’t want loads of water sitting in with your berries because it’ll water down your jam.

Weigh your ingredients!

Weigh your blackberries. However much they weigh you’ll need the same weight in sugar. So, if you’ve got 1kg of blackberries, you’ll need 1kg of sugar. I had 400g of berries so used that much sugar. If you don’t have scales don’t panic, you can just estimate by using cups. It’s roughly one cup of sugar for every cup of berries.

Start softening!

Pop your blackberries into a big saucepan and when they have been simmering for a few minutes use a potato masher or even the back of a fork to squash them down a bit. This releases the juice and makes it easier for the sugar to mix in. Don’t worry about getting every single berry completely smooth a bit of texture makes it nicer.

Add the sugar!

Pour in the sugar and stir well. It might look like a lot at first but it balances the tartness of the blackberries beautifully. Keep stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. At this point your kitchen will start smelling amazing! Sweet, fruity and a little like summer wrapped up in a pan.

Bring to a boil!

Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Let it bubble away for around 10 minutes. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick or burn at the bottom. You’ll notice it thickens quite quickly and the colour deepens into a dark purple.

Test it!

To see if your jam has set drop a little onto a cold plate. You can keep a plate in the fridge for this. Push it gently with your finger and if it wrinkles it’s ready. If not let it boil for another minute or two and test again.

Jar it up!

Once your jam has passed the wrinkle test, take it off the heat. Carefully pour it into clean, sterilised jars while it’s still hot. Screw the lids on tightly. To sterilise jars, wash them in hot soapy water, rinse well, then pop them in a low oven (about 120°C) for 10 minutes. Lids can be boiled in a pan of water for a few minutes.

Tips and Tricks

Seeds or no seeds!

If you don’t like the seeds you can sieve the blackberries after mashing and before adding sugar. It’s a bit more work but you’ll get a smooth jam.

Fridge storage!

Even without sterilising this jam will be fine in the fridge for a couple of weeks. If you go through jam fast this is perfect.

Don’t panic if it’s a bit runny!

Slightly softer jam is still tasty and it makes a great topping for yogurt or ice cream.

Frozen fruit works!

No need to hunt for fresh blackberries if you don’t have them. Frozen blackberries are great just be sure to thaw them a bit before using!

Adjust sweetness!

If you prefer your jam a little less sweet you can reduce the sugar slightly but remember it helps with the setting.

Small batches are easier!

If you’ve only got a little bowl of blackberries don’t worry. Making jam in small amounts is easier and avoids the stress of huge pans of bubbling fruit.

Get creative with serving!

This jam isn’t just for toast. Try it swirled into porridge, spread on scones or even spooned into a cake mix.

A lot of recipes make jam sound intimidating but this one proves it doesn’t have to be. Two ingredients, about 20 minutes and you have a jar of homemade jam that tastes way better than shop bought. There’s something satisfying about knowing exactly what’s in it with no weird additives, no preservatives, just fruit, sugar and a squeeze of lemon.

Have you ever made your own jam before?