I collected some for my upcoming jam endeavor a few days ago, just me and the dogs. G.I. Joe was at that job thingy he does. I don't know.
ANYWAY. I got stung by a bee. Through my jeans, and I won't put up a picture because it was on the back of my upper thigh. Yup, right where you're thinking. Awkward. But I was traumatized, and didn't want to go back by myself.
I took G.I. Joe with me to collect blackberries, and it was very successful. No bee stings, and we found fresh, wild mint. Glorious. We collected enough to make jam, and that's what I decided to do; I like to think my domesticity report card has a few A's on it.
G.I. Joe has already eaten an entire jar, so I call this recipe successful. I tend to gauge my recipes by how much he likes them. I like it because there isn't anything weird in it. No pectin or gelatin or skeleton or animal hooves or anything. That's right, there are just three ingredients in this recipe.
Bet you can't guess the first one.
Those are some pretty blackberries. And look at that delicate, feminine hand. Now whose could that be?
I digress.
This is probably not enough to make jam. But this might be enough:
That should be good. You can measure them out. Or not. This recipe is the easiest thing ever, and pretty much everything is as you like it. But for propriety's sake, I measured out my blackberries.
I don't know how that purple ring showed up on my Pyrex measuring glass, but I like to think it's coming from the blackberries. Like a halo. You know, because they're so pure.
Pour all the berries into a medium saucepan, but don't turn on the heat yet.
More beautiful purple halos. My kitchen is berry heaven.
See that whisk? Whhhisssk. Whisk whisk whisk. Wh wh whisk. I just love that word. You will need a whisk, or whisk-like device. Or really, a spoon is fine, because you're supposed to use that to mash up the berries into a lovely little berry stew.
Don't completely destroy them. Leave some heft in there, it makes this jam all the difference. I should probably stop here and note that this is not a jam for people who prefer to get their fruit from gummy snacks and a Smuckers jar. Because this is not a Smuckers kind of jam. We don't do Smuckers, unless the situation calls for it, and I'm smeared with finger paint and dirt. This happens more often than you think.
It's time for some sugar. The granulated stuff is just fine. Measure some out and pour it over the berry mush. You can really tweak it here, because this is a matter of what kind of sweet tooth you have. Mine is out of control.
Stir it all up, until the sugar is blended into the berry juice.
Get out some lemons, and grate off a little bit of the peel. Make sure to just get the yellow part, not the white rind. That stuff is bitter and just guh-ross. I forgot to mention that I also excel in teenage-ese. Just a few little slices is fine.
Roll your lemon out on the counter to get the juices flowing, cut it in half, and squeeze out the juice. If you don't have quite enough but don't want to cut open another lemon, just use the bottled stuff.
Or you can just use it and save yourself the trouble of buying lemons. Seriously, it's ok. The freshness gods are not going to come after you. I love lemons and have no qualms about substituting this sometimes.
Add in a few tablespoons into the mixture.
Stir it all up, and turn the heat up to high. That's right, you want the hottest setting on the stove. Let that boil for about five to seven minutes, depending on how many berries you have. More on that later.
You'll start seeing a little bit of foam collecting on the top of your boiling berries.
That's ok. Just leave it be for now. The color will be very pretty, but you won't want it in the end. Let it boil on high heat for a bit, with lots of happy little jam bubbles. Once it's bubbled for while, turn down the heat to about medium and just let it roll around for a little. Your mixture will look a little like this.
You can start skimming off the foam while it's cooking. Just take a spoon and get as much off the top as possible without taking any of the jam. Do your best. I believe in you.
After it's bubbled for about fifteen minutes, turn off the heat and remove the saucepan. Now, very carefully, spoon the jam mixture into Mason jars. Make sure there is nobody around you, like children, dogs, or ducks. It's like molten lava, which is good for now.
Don't be alarmed if it doesn't look like it has a snowball's chace in hell of being spread on toast. That's what the cooling time is for. You can just marvel at its beauty for now.
I know, I'm a very messy jam spooner. Also, I love that color. Perhaps a dress in the same color is just the ticket. Screw on the lids, and let it cool for a few hours. Make sure you refrigerate the stuff, and it will be good for a week. If you want it to last a while longer, go through the canning process and store it in the pantry. By the way, canning is not as scary as it sounds. After one try, I am now an expert canner.
Here is a good link for canning information: http://www.fcs.uga.edu/
G.I. Joe ate almost an entire jar in one day. I plan to just roll around in it.
Blackberry Jam
Ingredients
- 3 cups of blackberries (raspberries & blueberries are also ok)
- 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
- 3 tbsps of lemon juice
- Slivers of lemon peel
Directions
1. Place the blackberries in a medium saucepan and gently crush the berries with a small whisk or spoon, enough to release the juices.
2. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. A good ratio is half a cup of sugar and one tablespoon of lemon juice per one cup of berries.
3. Stir together all the ingredients, along with the lemon peel, and set burner on high heat. Allow to boil for five minutes (add one minute per extra cup of blackberries).
4. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes, adding two minutes for each cup of blackberries. Skim off the foam throughout the simmering process.
5. Remove the saucepan from heat, and distribute throughout the Mason jars, leaving 1/2 inch of space between the jam and the lid. Seal lids and proceed with canning process, or allow to cool overnight. Eat on toast in the messiest way possible.
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