Making blackberry jam doesn’t have to be hard and this recipe from Karen Burns-Booth at Great British Chefs is very straightforward.
It has to be because I had never made jam before and mine came out great first time!
One dilemma that all growers of soft fruit have is that it all ripens at once, and my allotment is no exception. To be honest, I haven’t got a sweet tooth and usually freeze down any soft fruits for use in sauces, blackberry sauce is great with duck.
There are years however when there is just so much fruit that it is way too much to store, so I have decided to make blackberry jam.
What is This Setting Point?
Researching through cookery books and online all jam-making seems fairly straightforward with the exception of telling when the boiling jam has reached the “setting point”?
There seem to be various favoured methods including:
- The flake test – scooping out a large spoonful of jam and allowing it to drip. The setting point has been reached when the jam forms a long drip resembling webbed feet?
- The cold plate test – placing two or three saucers in the freezer and once cold spooning jam onto a cold saucer at intervals and pushing the jam with your finger. The setting point has been reached when the jam wrinkles and sets?
- The modern way – use a digital thermometer, jam sets at 104.5C/220F.
The first two seem pretty subjective and best left to experienced jam makers who know what boiling jam at setting point looks like.
For me, the digital thermometer is definitely the way to go, easy and precise, no guesswork.
Sterilise Your Jars
Before you start get two jars with well-fitting lids that will make a seal and sterilise them. I place the open jars and lids in a cold oven, heat to 160C/Fan 140C, turn the oven off and allow the jars to cool until you can safely handle them.
The jars need to be warm when putting the jam in as the subsequent cooling produces the pressure seal.
Produce From Our Allotment
This recipe is one from my allotment produce collection. I try and grow as many of my favourite vegetables as possible. Fresh veg is packed full of goodness and just tastes better than shop-bought produce. Pick some sweetcorn or green beans for example and cook them within an hour or two, they taste amazing, sweet and crunchy. You can’t beat it.
I have collected together recipes which I think will bring out the best of my homegrown salad, fruit and vegetables. Just remember to wash and prepare your produce thoroughly before cooking and/or eating it. As the old saying goes “there is only one thing worse than finding a maggot in an apple and that is finding half a maggot”.
For jam novices like me, this is what the stages of jam making looked like.
Reducing the blackberries and lemon juice on the hob.
Bring the fruit and sugar mixture to a boil until it reaches setting point.
The finished jam. Once it’s cooled down I can label it.
All that’s left to do now is try it. I must say it is very good.
Blackberry Jam
Ingredients
- 450 g Fresh blackberries
- 450 g Jam sugar has added pectin
- 1 Lemon juiced
Instructions
- Place the blackberries and lemon juice in a large pan and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the fruit is soft
- Meanwhile, warm the sugar in a low oven. When the fruit is cooked, add the sugar and stir the fruit over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved
- Turn the heat up and bring the fruit and sugar to a boil, boil for 10–15 minutes until setting point has been reached at 104.5C/220F
- Once setting point has been reached, take the pan off the heat, spoon any scum off the top of the jam and leave to sit for about 10 minutes
- Ladle the hot jam into warm, sterile jam jars and seal immediately with a screw-top lid. Label once cold
You may also like one of my other recipes …
