I REALLY like homemade jam, I all ways go over to a stall if I can see they have jam and chutneys. We live backing onto woodland (go out of the back gate you’re in the woods sort of thing) and there are A LOT of blackberry bushes, so we picked some and I made some jam with it. It was really fun and pretty straight-forward. (Makes 1 big jar or 2 smaller jars). Tip: If you’re going to change the amount, the golden rule is the same amount of sugar to blackberries! Also: You need to sterilise some glass jars, first. Wash with warm, soapy water. Then. Place on a baking tray and put them in the oven at a low heat until dry. DO NOT TRY TO DRY THEM YOURSELF, the oven heat kills bacteria.
You will need:
- 400g blackberries (washed if picked from wild bushes)
- 400g sugar
- 3tbs lemon juice
- About a table spoon soft butter
- Sterilised jars
Method:
1. Put the blackberries, sugar and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed saucepan on a low heat and fold the sugar into the berries until completely dissolved.
2. Leave to gently boil stirring occasionally 10-12 minutes, don’t turn up the heat at all.
3. You should notice a foam appear, take your butter and place it in the middle put into the foam until melted. Turn off then heat and if any foam remains remove with a spoon.
4. Test the jam by placing a small amount on a plate and putting it in the fridge for a few minutes, take it out and tilt the plate, if it doesn’t move or it crinkles then the rest of the jam is ready to be put into jars, if is runs down the plate then put the rest back on the heat and leave to boil a further 2 minutes, repeat test.
4. Once all the jam is in jars then leave to cool and refrigerate overnight, the jam will be ready to eat the next day. Enjoy! 😀
