Categories: Blackberries, Jellies or Jams

Ingredients

• 4 cups crushed fresh ripe, blackberries (8-9 pint baskets)
• 7 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1 (3 ounce) package liquid pectin

Directions

1. In an 8-quart pan, combine the blackberries, sugar, and butter.

2. Over med-low heat, stirring constantly, heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.

3. Increase heat to med-high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil; stirring constantly.

4. Stir in all the pectin; return mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.

5. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

6. Remove pan from heat; skim off any foam.

7. To prevent the jam from separating in the jars, allow the jam to cool 5 minutes before filling jars.

8. Gently stir the jam every minute or so to distribute the fruit.

9. Ladle the hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.

10. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth.

11. Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings. Process half-pint jars in a 200° water bath for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes.

12. Tip: after cooking blackberry jam, the center white cores of the berries, to which the individual seeds were attached, will rise to the surface of the jam; as you stir the jam during the 5 minute standing period before ladling it into the jars, you may skim off as many of these cores as you can find-purely optional, but recommended if entering this jam in a competition.

13. Tip: you may use frozen blackberries-you will need 2 to 3 (16 oz.) bags; do not rinse frozen berries before defrosting, and be sure to add all of the released juice to the pan, or the jam will be too thick.

14. Tip: To reduce the quantity of seeds in the jam, sieve about ¼ of the berry pulp before measuring.

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