Blackberries, Part 2--Jam!

Proverbs 31:15 "She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens."

Confession: Last year was really the first time I really took on the venture of canning. I must say, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be... Parts of it, I actually enjoyed! And the following is one of those parts...

As I mentioned previously (here), my husband has been "risking life and limb," braving the briars and poison ivy, to bring me these beautiful, summer blackberries. They are so good--and I am making the most out of this awesome, summer fruit!

One of the "biggies" on my list was to tackle making blackberry jam. (Jam is just jelly with the seeds and pulp.) Let me state up front, it's really not that hard--just a little time consuming! So don't think you can't do it, because you can!!

Ok, now that you're pepped up and ready to can--let's jam! Ha ha!!

My first recommendation would have to be to get this book: The "Ball Blue Book of Preserving". This book is all things canning, whether pressure cooking or a water bath. There are tons of pictures; it's so easy to read. There are also tons of recipes.

I love this book!

Here are my beautiful berries! Oh, doesn't your mouth just water?!!?!?

And here is my little companion who came in with the berries...

Normally, I'm not a "bug person", but this little guy was so cute!

The recipe for any type of berry jam is easy:

9 c. of crushed berries 6 c. of sugar

So, crush your berries. This is not an exact science--just smoosh 'em the best you can...

Then add your sugar. Here's my set up:

I have my berries boiling, the water bath boiling, and some extra water boiling to pour in the water bath and/or pour over jars.

And here's the rest of the set up:

When he's eating, he's happy. Such a little man! ; )

A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do!

Cook your berries down (this does take longer than one would think). You're suppose to bring them to the "gelling point". Slowly bring the berries to a boil, then rapidly boil to the gelling point. This is the point where the jam comes off the spoon in sheets; its very thick. Stir often.

At this point, I take my clean jars and lids, put them in a clean, plugged sink, and run the hottest tap water over them that we've got. You can also use some of the extra water you've got going on the stove. The jars have to be hot before you can put the jam in them.

When the jam is finally ready, pour hot jam into the hot, dried jars--leave a 1/4" headspace at the top. Take particular care to make sure the rims of the jars and lids are clean for a good seal.

Place each jar in the water bath as you go.

I filled 7 jam jars (and had a little extra left to put in the fridge and eat right away)!!

Submerge the jars in the boiling water bath, with at least an inch of water above the jars (use the extra batch of boiling water to cover if necessary). Boil with the lid on bath for 15 minutes.

When done, remove jars (which are very hot!) and put in a safe place overnight to cool and seal. (Such a satisfying noise to hear the lids pop and seal! Melts the heart... ha!)

Then... BOOM! You're done! : )

Yummy Blackberry Jam!

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Tis the season... for BLACKBERRIES!

Proverbs 31:15 "She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens."

Summer is here--full, beautiful, and plenty hot! Now, I must state up front that I'm not the biggest fan of summer--I hate being hot... BUT I love summer cooking! There's plenty of fresh from the garden veggies and bright summery fruits.

One thing that screams summer to me is fresh, picked in the back yard, blackberries. Just look at these beauties! Thanks to my wonderful husband, who braved the insects, briars, and poison ivy, I have tons of blackberries and LOTS of big plans for them!

First on the list was something I had been craving since last summer--some Blackberry Quick Bread! It is so moist and yummy. It's made with cornmeal, which adds so much to the texture. I LOVE THIS STUFF! And so does my family... It's most definitely a southern delicacy (my most favorite kind!).

But, before I could jump into the bread--I had prep the berries. So I cleaned up the sink, filled it with cool water, and dipped the blackberries in. This chases out the bugs... Which my husband then chases out the door... Next is destemming and rinsing (and tasting a few just for good measure).

So here's the recipe:

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 2 large eggs

1 c. blackberries** 1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. yellow cornmeal 1/3 c. butter, melted

2 tsp. baking powder 3 Tbs. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. sugar

(**You can use any berry for this recipe! So versatile, so good!!)

1) Heat oven to 375*F. Coat bottom and sides of an 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan with nonstick spray.

2) Place flour in a medium bowl. Remove 1 Tbs. flour and toss with blackberries in a separate bowl. (This keeps the berries from sinking to the bottom of the batter in the pan! Neat trick if ever I saw one!!)

3) To remaining flour, add cornmeal, baking powder, and salt--mix well.

4) In another medium bowl, whisk sugar with eggs, milk, melted butter, and lemon juice.

5) Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just blended; gently fold in blackberries.

6) Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45 min or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

7) Cool quick bread in pan on wire rack 5 min, remove pan and cool completely.

And that's it!! This is bread is so delicious. But now, I must confess something to you... Ok, here goes...

I rarely follow steps 3-5. I mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix them well. Then I dump in the wet ingredients straight into the same bowl, then mix that well. Then I throw in the berries. The batter is very thick. And just for fun, I'll sprinkle and press in a handful of berries on top of the bread... Sometimes, I'm just in a hurry (and don't wanna dirty 6 million bowls)!!

Well, I'm glad I got that off my chest. Sometimes, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! : )

And finally, the end result:

I really do love this stuff, and it's pretty to look at, too!! I hope you enjoy!!

The cliffhanger: I've got plenty more blackberry recipes to come! I can't wait to share! Come back soon!

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