Wild Blackberry Jam (No Pectin)

Recipe for Wild Blackberry Jam (No Pectin)

My little corner of the country - Sequim, WA - is literally covered in rich, dark, wild blackberries this time of year and I wanted a way to keep that delicious flavor going throughout the winter, so I thought I'd try making some jam. Judging by the reception - one jar emptied before I could post this - I'd say it's a hit!

I love the simplicity of this recipe as it uses only two ingredients: ripe berries and sugar... that's it!

Wild Blackberry Jam Recipe:

4 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen then thawed)

4 cups sugar

Put 4 cups of (fresh or thawed) blackberries into a strainer over a glass bowl and let the juice drain into the bowl for several minutes. Reserve this liquid for later and make some blackberry syrup, or simply use the juice to flavor tea or lemonade (it's too good to toss out!)

Start the water boiling in your Canning Pot in order to prepare three Pint Jars to put the jam in.

Using a large soup pot (and I do mean large - the berries and sugar will about double in volume while cooking!), heat and mash the berries until they reach a full rolling boil.

Let it boil 2 minutes while you stir it.

Gently stir in the sugar.

Bring to a boil again, stirring constantly.

Boil for 4 minutes.

Remove Jam mix from heat.

From your Canning Pot - pull empty jars from their sterilizing bath, place on towel to fill with jam.

Stir the cooked Blackberry Jam mix thoroughly for 3-4 minutes to even out the consistency*.

Pour into sterilized jars and place in Canning Pot for a 5 minute boiling water bath.

Turn off heat when 5 minutes is up, let the jam jars sit in water for another 5 minutes, then place on counter to cool/seal.

The jam will appear a bit runny at first, but it gels nicely after it cools completely! Enjoy it with some of your home-made bread and peanut butter or over some nice vanilla ice cream.

*Optional. If you like a chunkier jam, go ahead and skip this step. Also, if you like your jam a bit less sugary, feel free to add a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice.