BLACKBERRY-BLUEBERRY JAM

Jackie Hall (Lisa’s friend) sent me this recipe. Her family loves it.

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2008/07/blackberry-blueberry-jam-low-sugar.html

Blackberry-Blueberry Jam

4 quarts (16 cups) mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)

4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 cup honey, more if your berries are particularly tart

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 package pectin (Sure-Jell, Certo, or the like, about 2 1/2 T.)

Clean and sterilize jars, lids, and rings.

Put clean, stemmed berries into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Pare and chop apples. I used Granny Smith, but any tart cooking apple will do.

Mix together sugar and pectin and add to berries along with the honey and cook over medium heat. Bring slowly to the boil and boil gently for at least thirty minutes or until it looks like jam and tastes like jam. Mine took about 45-60 minutes. Use your best judgment.

Take a bit out on a spoon and put it on a cold plate. Are the juices watery-looking? Keep cooking until you when you put a little dab on a plate it has a more syrupy consistency. Let the dab cool a bit. It should begin to set up a little. It doesn’t have to be terribly thick or gelatinous (you want to be able to spread it on your toast without undue effort). If you have much foam, skim it off with a spoon. At this point, turn off the heat and ladle the jam into the jars.

I don’t have a jar gripper, so I take a tea towel and wrap it around the empty jar like a scarf as a heat-proof handle.

Then I fill them up within 1/2 inch of the top, add lids and loosely screw down the rings.

Lastly they go into the canner for a 5 minute process and they are done. Let them cool. Tighten lids up a bit. Over the next hour or so, the lids will seal with a pop. After they seal, if you press a finger on the top of the lid, the lid will be pressed in and will not pop back and forth. That’s a good seal.

This recipe makes 5 pints (I got 6 plus 2 small ones and plenty to eat).