Blackberry Peach Jam

This canning season, I’ve been experimenting with different flavor combinations. I made crockpot blackberry jam and rosemary peach butter. I had some blackberries and peaches left so I combined them in this Blackberry Peach Jam.

It seems that I’m not the only one that had this idea because I found a few versions online for inspiration. Looking at the photos on Pinterest was what really sold me on the idea because the blackberries give the jam a beautiful pink tint.

I decided to use Pomona pectin in this recipe because it allows you to reduce the amount of sugar required. The flavor of the fruit really shines through in this recipe instead of the sweetener.

I consulted the following resources while making this jam:

• Followed the method for extracting the blackberry juice from Peach Blackberry Jam by Our Share of the Harvest. 
• Referred to the method for making Ginger Peach Jam from Put ‘em Up! by Sherri Brooks Vinton
• Utilized the instructions on the Pomona’s Universal Pectin box for the appropriate amount of  fruit/pectin/calcium water/lemon juice.

 

Blackberry Peach Jam

Makes: 7 – 8 Eight ounce jars

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds peaches
• 1/2 cup blackberry juice (2 cups, strained)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons Pomona’s Universal Pectin
• 4 teaspoons calcium water (included in Pomona box)

 

Method:

Step 1: Wash and rinse canning jars; let them stand in hot water. Bring lids and rings to boil; turn down heat; let stand in hot water

Step 2: Puree the blackberries in a blender or food processor and strain through a strainer, sieve, or jelly bag.

 

Step 3: Meanwhile, combine the water and lemon juice in a nonreactive pot. Prepare an ice-water bath in a large bowl.

Step 4: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the peaches, two at a time, in the boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skin. Scoop the peaches out of the water and place them into the ice-water bath. Repeat until all of the peaches have been blanched.

 

Step 5: Peel, pit, and dice the peaches and add them to the pot with the lemon water. Add 1/2 cup strained blackberry juice and the calcium water and mix well.

 

Step 6: Measure the sugar into a separate bowl. Stir in the Pectin powder and mix thoroughly.

 

Step 7: Bring the peach and blackberry mixture to a boil.  Lightly mash about one quarter of the mixture with a potato masher.

 

Step 8: Add the pectin-sugar mixture; stir vigorously 1-2 minutes, while cooking to dissolve the pectin. Return to boil and remove from heat.

 

Step 9: Fill the jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.  Wipe the rims clean.  Screw on the 2-piece lids.  Place the filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil for 10 minutes. (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). If you need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Step 10: Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove the jars, and let them sit on the counter for 24 hours to cool and ensure they are sealed correctly. You should hear the lids pop if they are sealed properly.

Place the sealed jars in a cool, dry place for storage for up to a year.  If any of the jars do not seal properly, place them in the refrigerator. They will last for a couple of months in the refrigerator.

 

Happy Canning!

Cathy

Crock Pot Blackberry Vanilla Jam

It’s been a while since I’ve participated in the Can It Up! Challenge hosted by Hima at All Four Burners.

I got a new cooktop and I was nervous about messing it up with water-bath-canning. I let several months of jamming pass me by, but when it came time to can berries, I just couldn’t resist any longer. The jam-making bug hit. It was time to make some blackberry jam.

 

One Saturday, I talked my sister into going to our favorite farm to get some blackberries and peaches. We each got a gallon of blackberries. I ate most of the berries, but I did save some for this blackberry jam and some for another canning project. You’ll have to stay tuned to find out about that one.

 

Since I’ve made blackberry jam a few times, I wanted to do something different this time.  So I decided to make it in a crockpot. I made apple butter in a crockpot with great success so I wondered how it would work with blackberries.

I went to one of my favorite places for inspiration – Pinterest, of course. I found this Crock Pot Blackberry Jam recipe from Repeat Crafter Me. Sarah has some really cute downloadable recipe cards for this jam so you’ll want to check out her post.

I took it a step further and canned it using the water-bath-canning method. I also enhanced it by adding a couple vanilla beans.

Last year, when I made vanilla strawberry jam, we loved it so I thought this would be a nice touch for the blackberry jam. Boy was it ever!  I really enjoy blackberry jam but the vanilla puts it over the top, at least in my book.

 

Crock Pot Blackberry Vanilla Jam

Adapted from Crock Pot Blackberry Jam and Crock Pot Maple Apple Butter

Makes: 3 to 4 Eight ounce jars

Ingredients:

• 2 pints blackberries, rinsed and drained *
• 2 cups sugar
• 1-2 vanilla beans
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

* I used 2 pints of blackberries measured by weight (using kitchen scales) not volume (measuring cups).  But you can use 2 pints from the market to make things easy.

 

Directions:

Gently mash the blackberries in a bowl with a potato masher. They should still be a little chunky.

 

Transfer the crushed berries to a crock pot and add in the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla beans. You can slit the bean and scrape out the pods if you like.  I just split them and placed them in the crockpot.

Cook on low for 2.5 hours, stirring twice. Remove the lid and cook on high for 2-3 hours. When the jam is thickened discard the vanilla beans and ladle into canning jars.

The jam didn’t thicken as much as I would’ve liked in the crockpot so I transferred it to a regular pot and brought the jam to a rolling boil while the jars and lids were being sterilized.

 

Here is my mise in place. Oh yeah!  That’s for bread making, but having everything ready and in it’s place works really well for jam making too.

 

Once the jam reaches the boiling point and passes the cold plate method (i.e. the jam doesn’t run), ladle it into 8 oz jars (leaving 1/4-inch headspace), wipe the rims with a clean cloth, add the lids and rings, and process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.

Refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

 

Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and let the jars rest in the water for 5 minutes.  Remove the jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

 

I enjoyed participated in Can It Up! this month.  It felt good to be canning again.   

 

Happy Canning!

Cathy

Old-Fashioned Blackberry Jam

My taste tester and I visited one of my favorite farms on the 4th of July. I got a flat of blackberries and a peck of peaches. You know what that means?  It’s time to jam!

I started my jam session with this Blackberry Jam. It is made the old-fashioned way with no pectin, just fresh fruit and sugar and a little lemon juice to assist in the gel-setting. It’s a good thing we got a whole flat because I ate a bunch before I ever got around to making the jam. The berries and the jam are exceptional!  I look forward to enjoying this jam when berry season is over.

This jam is considered a long-boil soft spread, similar to the strawberry jam I made in June. For these types of jams, it’s best to use three parts fully-ripe fruit to one part slightly under-ripe fruit so that the under-ripe fruit (which usually has a higher pectin content), will help the gel set.

 

Old-Fashioned Blackberry Jam

Yield: About seven or eight 8-ounce (250 mL) jars

Adapted from: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs by Nancy Chioffi & Gretchen Mead

Ingredients:

• About 10 cups crushed blackberries (3 quarts berries)
• 6 3/4 cups granulated sugar (about 3/4 cup for each cup fruit) I used about 6 1/4 cups
• 4 T lemon juice
• 2 tsp organic butter (optional, to reduce foam)

 

Directions:

1) Prepare canner, jars and lids. For detailed instructions on water-bath canning, refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

2) Crush and measure the berries. Place the berries into a large, deep, stainless steel pot or kettle. Add the sugar and lemon juice (if using). Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. You can remove some of the seeds using a sieve, if desired.  I just crushed the berries seeds and all.

 

3) Boil until gel sets. Boil rapidly, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens (or for a firm jam, boil until the mixture reaches nine degrees over the boiling point of water).  I used the plate-in-the-freezer method to determine when the gel was set.  With this method, you place a plate in the freezer and test the gel periodically by placing a drop of gel on the plate.  When the jam doesn’t run, the gel is set.

4) Remove from heat and skim off the foam. I added a couple of teaspoons of organic butter to the gel at this stage to reduce the foam.  I forgot to take a photo but before I added the butter, the foam was covering the pot.  In the photo below, the foam is almost gone.

 

5) Ladle the jam into hot, sterilized canning jars. Leave 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles if necessary with a bubble remover and headspace tool. Wipe the edges clean. Center lid on jar.  Then screw the band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight. 

6) Process in a boiling-water bath. Place the jars in the canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes in altitudes up to 1,000 feet.

If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

I had 7 full jars and 1 jar that was 3/4 full so it didn’t go in the boiling-water bath. It went in the refrigerator after it cooled down.

 

7) Remove the jars and store. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove the jars, and let them sit on the counter for 24 hours to cool and ensure they are sealed correctly. You should hear the lids pop if they are sealed properly. Place the sealed jars in a cool, dry place for storage for up to a year.  If any of the jars do not seal properly, place them in the refrigerator. They will last for a couple of months in the refrigerator.

 

I enjoyed some of the jam in the unprocessed jar, then placed it in the refrigerator. The rest of the jars are going in my jam cabinet to give away as gifts.

 

Happy Canning and Baking!

Cathy

Making Jam: Blackberry Jam using pectin

This past weekend, we went tubing down a river in the North Georgia mountains and stopped by one of my favorite farms on the way back. I made off with a bunch of fruits and vegetables.  I really went to get peaches, but the blackberries looked so good, I just couldn't pass them up.

I was going to make blackberry cobbler, but the blackberry jam I made last year was such a hit with everyone that I decided to make some more. I opted to make this batch of blackberry jam using liquid pectin rather than using the long-cook method (without pectin) because I also made salsa and marinara from my homegrown tomatoes and I was a little bit tired of standing in the kitchen.

Jams Made with Berries

Recipe from Keeping the Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs by Nancy Chioffi and Gretchen Mead

Yields: 8 or 9 half-pint jars

The neat thing about this recipe is that it can be used to make jam with blackberries, boysenberries, dewberries, strawberries, youngberries, loganberries, red raspberries, or gooseberries.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups crushed fruit - about 2 quarts fully ripe berries (or 3 3/4 cups fruit and 1/4 cup lemon juice for strawberries or other berries that lack tartness)
• 7 cups sugar (6 1/2 cups for loganberries and red raspberries; 6 cups for gooseberries)
• 1 pouch liquid pectin
  
  

Directions:

To begin with, I removed some of the seeds using my Foodmill.

Measure 4 cups fruit (or fruit and lemon juice) into large saucepan and add sugar.

 

Mix well.

Bring to a full, rolling boil over high heat and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in liquid pectin at once.

Skim off foam with metal spoon, then stir and skim for 5 minutes to cool slightly and prevent fruit from floating.

Ladle into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and seal.

Process in a hot-water bath for 5 minutes, up to 1,000 feet altitude.  I did it for 10 minutes because we are slightly above 1,000 feet altitude.  If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

 

Remove canner lid.  Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, let them sit on the counter overnight, then store.

Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy


Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures. You might enjoy them as well:

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation