A good blackberry jam can sweeten your day.
Fruity and luscious, nature's gift.
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To make this natural blackberry jam recipe at home from scratch with fresh hand-picked fruits and without pectin is straightforward and so very delicious.
Preserve the season's goodness in a jar!
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📕 What blackberries to use for blackberry jam without pectin?
Blackberries mostly turn from small green fruits to full blackberry fruits during August.
If the blackberry vine plant grows in the sun, the fruits turn out to be sweeter.
Therefore, the weather determines the quality of the fruits.
Hence, if it rains cat's and dog's, and if in between the monkey's have a few weddings (It's a saying in India when it rains and the sun shines at the same time), the blackberries will turn out more sour.
That's a fact.
Ironically for making blackberry jam without pectin, we require sour fruits, as tartness is an indication for higher levels of natural pectin, and pectin helps in preserving jams longer without them getting spoiled and moldy.
That means, if your berries are way too sour, you can think of making a blackberry jam, so to put them to use properly, and in a delicious way of course!
For that, you would need fresh blackberries, which are quite commonly growing right in the northern hemisphere.
In fact, blackberries have a tendency to grow wild next to the road.
That means blackberry vines do enjoy pathways which are well lit and spacious.
The Blackberries need to be deep black in color and the best way to test if they make the cut already is to taste one.
If it's reddish, way too sour and hard, then just wait 2-3 more days for the blackberries to ripen little more.
🔪 How to make Blackberry Jam without pectin?
So, to make the jam you keep the fruits in the jam cooking pot and add the sugar, then you keep it on low heat to cook.
You watch the jam and test after cooking to see if its ready and voilà, you have a homemade jam!
That easy it is to make a blackberry jam without pectin.
You just need to make sure that you use the correct tools to assist you with your jam (see below for suggestions), that you work in a clean environment and with sterilized jars and that you test your blackberry preserves before filling it into the jars.
The blackberry jam setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.
I don't add artificial pectin as I don't like the flavor and I have always enjoyed naturally made jam at home.
The regular sugar helps in preserving the jam very well.
Why is my blackberry jam runny?
There are a few reasons why your blackberry jam can turn out runny.
Your fruits are not sour enough.
Store bought hybrid blackberry varieties tend to be sweeter.
Wild and homegrown blackberry varieties are sourer.
Quick fix: Add 2-3 organic lemons with the rind and lemon juice, that will help in adding natural pectin without much effort.
You tried to double the batch.
It's easier to work with a batch of 1-kilogram fruits.
Trying to jam more than a kilogram at a time can complicate things.
You reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe because you thought it contained way too much sugar.
Don't ever reduce the sugar in a jam recipe, especially when it's without pectin.
The sugar is key to jam and helps in the jelling and storing so that the jam doesn't turn bad.
You didn't give your jam a rolling boil or you didn't cook your jam long or high enough.
In that case, use a thermometer.
You used a pot that wasn't giving uniform heating.
Some jam got cooked less some more, that shouldn't happen.
That is why you might want to use a pan like the French copper pans.
Can't go wrong with that one (see suggestion in the tools below)
Make sure to stir frequently too!
Keep in mind this is a recipe without artificial pectin added.
It's a traditional French recipe.
Artificial pectin is not added to French jams.
That is why it's so important that you don't change the amount of sugar added!
Why is my blackberry jam hard?
You must have overcooked it or the heat was too high.
Use a thermometer to know when the jam is good and test on a cold plate or spoon to check if it's ready.
If it runs it needs some more cooking.
If you are afraid to try making a blackberry preserves without pectin, then please go ahead and pick a recipe with pectin instead.
We have never cooked a jam at home with pectin, so I can't help you with that.
In fact, my french mum sells her jams in the local farmers market in Austria.
Useful tools that you can need to make this Blackberry jam without pectin:
So, before you start making the jam, make sure that you have some equipment ready such as...
- a big cooking pot (preferable copper as it transmits the heat better)
- a wooden cooking spoon with a long handle
- keep a plate in the freezer. that's for testing if the jam is ready to be canned.
- clean sterilized jam jars with clean fitting lids
- a small amount of rum
- funnel
- tongs to lift the hot sterilized jars
- labels for your pretty jam jars, because after all you can make a batch and gift some to your family and friends.
That's a very basic jam making equipment and here some suggestions...
🍴 How to use the blackberry jam?
You can add a spoonful of blackberry jam to your plain yogurt as a dessert or spread some on your morning breakfast bread to start the day well.
Also, try adding some blackberry preserves to baked goods or as a filling to stuffed doughnuts for example.
More Berry Jams
Dear Reader, do you like to pick berries in the summer?
The post blackberry jam was published for the first time at maslaherb.com on September 17th 2014 and has been enhanced and updated ever since.
📖 Recipe
Blackberry Jam Recipe {without Pectin}
Ingredients
For the Jam:
- 35.2 ounces Blackberries
- 26.5 ounces Sugar
You will also need:
- few drops Rum
- Jam jars and lids
- Labels
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
![Blueberry Jam without Pectin [Recipe with only 2 Ingredients] made from scratch with collected wild blueberries. you can also make this blueberry jam with store bought blueberries. makes about 3 jars and stroes well for a year if unopened and kept in a dry and dark place. Including with blueberry jam label in english german and fresnch www.masalaherb.com](https://www.masalaherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Blueberry-Jam-Organic-5.jpg)
Notes
2. 1 servings = 1 Teaspoon. 3 jars approx. 70 servings.
