Blackberry Jammin'

Preserving is supposedly only cool if you're over 60 and called Beryl. I think this is a serious misconception. Jam making, in particular, should be classified as an extreme sport. What with trying to avoid scalding myself while sterilising the jars, dodging the boiling flecks of sugary syrup flying at me out of the pot and trying to fill the piping hot jars with piping hot jam, this is not an activity to be scoffed at. Our friends from Oberon, in the Blue Mountains, gave us a container full of blackberries a few months ago, which i froze until i was feeling up to jam making. Usually blackberry is spayed as it is a horrible weed that is not easy to get rid of, but they keep a patch unsprayed in their garden for the fruit. Blackberry jam is my favourite as it is sweetened by the sugar but still retains a little of the fruits tartness. I used panella (evaporate cane sugar), its a darker sugar, less refined and better for you. My jam making bible (The Right Way to Make Jams) says that it really doesn't matter what type of sugar you use, and i think it tastes just as nice as last year, when i made it with white sugar, maybe even nicer. Like any extreme sport, jam making can be stressful. Issues such as how long to soften the fruit and, especially, whether it is set, can cause anxiety. I think you just have to use your instinct, and don't over think it, undercooked jam is better than overcooked jam. I know this from experience. But you can always use any failed jam attempts in a cake or crumble. It is so satisfying when it does work, and makes up for the sticky bomb that looks as if it has exploded in your kitchen. Adjust the quantities depending on how many berries you have. The lemon peel adds the pectin, which i don't think blackberries have much of, ensuring it sets properly. Keep peeling the lemons until you have removed all the white pith, or it won't work. Serve on toasted sourdough with a little salted butter. 

Ingredients:

1.8kg Blackberries, washed and any stalks picked out

150ml water

4 tblsp lemon juice

The skin and pith of four lemons, finely sliced and secured in a muslin bag

1.6-1.8kg sugar (whatever type you prefer)

Method: 

Place two small saucers in the freezer. 

Sterilise 8-10 jars by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing well and placing on a tray lined with paper towel or a tea towel and placed in a warm oven. Place the sugar in an ovenproof bowl and sit in the oven to warm through, stirring every so often. This is so when you add it to the jam it doesn't drop the temperature too much. Place the berries in a large (if possible shallow) pan. Add the water, lemon juice and muslin bag of lemon peel. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer, cook the fruit, uncovered, until soft, about 20 minutes, stirring every so often. Take off the heat, remove the muslin bag and add the warm sugar in a steady stream. Stir until it is completely dissolved. Return to a high heat to bring rapidly to a rolling boil. Stir to prevent it catching on the base of the pan but not too often. Boiling time varies, i think mine took about 10-15 minutes.You are waiting for it to reach setting point. Test for this regularly, so you don't overcook it. To test, take out a saucer from the freezer and place on it a small teaspoonful of jam, allow it too cool and then push it gently with a fingernail. If it crinkles slightly, it is ready, if it still flows freely, it needs more boiling time. When it has set, turn off the heat, skim any scum with a spoon or spatula, remove the jars from the oven and ladle in the jam, filling high as some shrinkage will occur. Clean the jars if need be and put the lids on tight. I don't bother with a seal because it gets eaten fairly quickly and we keep it in the fridge. The jam book i mentioned above is very handy and has a lot more information. 

Recipe Source: The Right Way to Make Jams, Cyril Grange