Believe it or not, I still do have some of the domestic skills that my mother spent years instilling in me! I came home from visiting my family on Saturday with two baskets full of fresh picked blackberries from my grandparents garden. So, I decided it was time to try out a skill that I hadn't used in years, since I lived at home - jam making.
Fresh Blackberries - YUMMY!
I searched the grocery store for pectin and then I searched the internet for a recipe. Once I had both, I set to work - found the jars in the basement, cleaned the jars, found the lids in the back of the pantry, found a big enough pot and all the pieces to the blender . . . ready to go!
At my mom's suggestion, I used the blender and pureed the blackberries as just mashing them tends to leave them to chunky.
Pureed Blackberries, ready to be made into jam!
Blackberries, pectin and sugar being cooked into jam!
As I remembered, jam making isn't all that hard and it really didn't take that much time. Mostly the reason that I have avoided making it all these years is the amount of fruit needed and the cost of said fruit, but I think that I will try to splurge on enough fruit to make a couple of batches of jam every year.
The finished product, 8 jars of yummy, fresh, homemade Blackberry Jam!
Here is the recipe if anyone wants to try it!
4 cups of crushed blackberries
1 box of pectin
2 tbsp of lemon juice
6 cups of sugar
Combine berries, pectin and lemon juice in large pot.
Bring to a boil and add sugar.
Bring back to a boil and continue to boil for one minute.
Skim off foam.
Put in sealer jars.
Put on lids.
Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes.
