A small batch of jam, depending of course on how many blackberries you manage to pick. Combined with apples it tastes absolutely wonderful. This year we made only a small amount – just enough for everyday use. Highly recommended!
Ingredients for blackberry and apple jam:
- 1 kg blackberries
- 500 g cooking apples
- finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups sugar
Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut them into small cubes. Place them in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan together with the blackberries and lemon. Add the sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer over very low heat for several hours until the jam thickens.
It’s a good idea to spread the cooking over two days. Halfway through cooking, pass about half of the jam through a sieve to remove some of the seeds.
How to check if the jam is ready: Place a small plate in the freezer. Spoon a little hot jam onto the chilled plate. If it sets and forms a thin skin that wrinkles when touched, the jam is ready.
Sterilise the jars (either with boiling water or in an oven heated to 100°C). Pour the hot jam into the jars and seal tightly.
Pasteurising the jars: Line the bottom of a large saucepan with kitchen towels. Place the jars inside, one next to another, and pour in boiling water to about ¾ of the jar height. Bring to the boil (the water should be similar in temperature to the jars to prevent them from cracking). Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the jars and allow them to cool completely. Some people also turn the jars upside down and wrap them in blankets, leaving them to cool overnight.
Enjoy!
I read all comments, but unfortunately I can't answer them all. Before posting a question, make sure nobody has asked a similar one (this will be facilitated by the search engine included in the comments). Comments with links may not be published.
Blog author