Blackberry Jam

After I had my first go at canning, I was hooked.

I usually eat or serve blackberry jam at least once throughout the day, so I thought it would be more economical and healthy to make my own.

I came across some wild blackberries that needed to be used immediately at a local farmers market. It was a challenge not to eat all 4 lbs or so before I preserved them!

At  the nearest supercenter I found some reduced sugar pectin. It allowed you to control the amount of sugar you added to the jam. The recipe for blackberry jam called for up to 3 cups of sugar, so I halved it. Honey could also have been used as a sweetener, but I was afraid of what it would do to the overall flavor of the jam.

Piper Ann had a playdate on jam making day, so I decided to get the kids involved. They had a blast mashing up the berries.

(even Oliver wanted to have a stab at mashing the berries)

Mashed berries

Water Bath

Jam

Have I mentioned that I’ll be at Tomato Fest on Aug 22?!