[inishindie]

The hedgerows are bulging at the seams with blackberries (Rubus fruticosus) at the moment. These are an ideal starter for you to practice the art of jam and jelly making. I personally prefer the jelly, this is just blackberry jam without the seeds, which suits me perfectly as I find after eating the seeds I'm picking them out of my teeth all day. The jelly is great with toast and butter or can be added to natural yogurt for a tasty treat. Here's a quick recipe which will make about four jars.

Blackberry Jelly
Step 1
Pick about 4lb of blackberries. It won't matter if some are not completely ripe, but you will find the riper ones come off the stems better.
Step 2
Wash and drain the fruit through a sieve.
Step 3
Get a large preserving pan, (or any large pan) will do and put in the blackberries
Step 4
Here's where you can choose what to add, either the juice of 2 lemons and 1/2 pint of water or substitute the lemon for tart acidic apples (granny smiths are good, but see what's growing locally). This provides the pectin for thickening the mix. Simmer for 20 minutes
Step 5
After the mix has cooled a bit, place it in a hessian or cotton bag, you could use cheesecloth or anything else that allows the liquid through but not the pulp. I used the frame from a kitchen chair and supported the bag using a broom handle. Leave this overnight to drip through but keep well away from where household pets can get at it.
Step 6
Towards the end of the juice straining, sterilise some jars by washing in hot soapy water, rinse, then put in an oven at 175F, and leave for 25 minutes.
Step 7
For every 1 pint of juice extracted from the pulp, measure out 1lb of sugar. Add the sugar to the blackberry juice, and heat the juice on low, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved.
Step 8
Simmer for half an hour, until the liquid has reached "setting point". Setting point is when you can put a little bit of the juice on a plate, letting it cool for a minute and then push your finger through the juice. If it doesn't automatically fall back into itself, and stays at the point you pushed it to, then it's ready to bottle. Try not to over simmer the juice as you might end up with toffee.
Step 9
Pour your blackberry jelly juice into your hot sterilised jars. . Leave a small gap at the top of the jar for air, this will help the jars create a vacuum after cooling and will last for ages unopened.

[simonj]

Have you tried reducing the sugar and using carrageen ?

[artalis]

Hi Inishindie and Simonj

Made some meself, after a bit of blackberry picking recently and home cooking ie. made blackberry crumble, blackberry and red wine sauce with chicken, blackberry chocolate cake with butter chocolate icing and now some jam, in order to use up the seedy pulp leftovers. Delicious blackberry jam with breakfast bagels.

artalis

[simonj]

Youve got to pass on that blackberry and redwine jus - sounds delicious and I already think I'd alter it for coq au vin

[artalis]

Hi simonj,

I took the recipe from the internet, lol. This looks like it, except that it is for chicken or pork, not duck . Have fun.....


http://southernfood.about.com/od/saucerecipes/r/bl60731a.htm

artalis

ps. I did not use jam in the recipe, but blackberry pulp ( crushed and strained fresh blackberry) and honey combined.

[dinahdabble]

I made some blackberry and ginger jam last night. I find ginger goes very well with the rich, blackberry taste - very warming in winter.