It was the final push of my jam-making extravaganza this Summer. Suddenly beautiful Blackberries were everywhere; just asking to be made into jam.
I'd not made Blackberry jam before; nor, I think, had I ever eaten any. I've had Blackberry jelly which I've always liked, but not actual jam, containing actual berries.
Eating the jam is an interesting experience. The Blackberries themselves are ever-present, and I can understand why this isn't made commercially. I probably find their presence acceptable because it was ME who made it.
The flavour is wonderful, but I'm not quite so sure about the little round bullets; although I'm not against them, in fact I find them rather amusing. However, I hadn't expected them to be quite so 'firm'.
Verdict: Flavour 10/10. Edibility 6/10. It will NOT go to waste.
23 comments:
Glad you are enjoying the Jam. Never had blackberry jam. Blackberry and apple pie and blackberry jelly.
I think I may have invented something, but I probably shouldn't have!
No, can't be doing with that I'm afraid, those little bullets get stuck between my teeth.
Lady M's Plum Pip Jam is even worse, you'd need some pliers to remove them.
I know someone who makes blackberry jam and she pushes all the cooked pulp through a sieve first to get rid of the seeds. It is delicious but a lot of work
I would make it differently if I made it again. I would probably make 'jelly', but it's much more work. It does taste good though.
I think the little white grubs are just as bad as the pips, but at least they get boiled alive first.
I didn't see any grubs, in fact we had a very insect-free Summer. Not even any Mosquitos.
I have made it both ways - full pit and strain out the pits. The latter is a lot more work but, I think, worth it.
Put a stick blender straight into the jar and blitz those seeds, hopefully to pulp. I love berry jam. Seeds don't annoy but commercial jam usually doesn't have too many seeds and tends to be too sweet.
A lot of brambles grow at the bottom of our garden. Some years we make a couple of jars of bramble jelly but mostly we use them for crumbles and pies and to sprinkle over bowls of muesli. Kudos to you for making your first bramble jam at the tender age of 86.
I'm sure you're right, I wasn't expecting it to be how it is!
That's not a bad idea, if I'm brave enough to try it, I'll let you know.
Lady M makes many a B & A Crumble which are always good. We would normally freeze lots of berries, but it's no longer possible. Perhaps she could use some of my jam instead. I shall suggest it (from a distance).
You could pop a little into a glass of alcohol or a small bottle of gin or vodka - flis x
Abbey's idea seems the best one!
I loved the bramble jelly my mother used to make - usually about two jars a year as she found it far too time consuming! The rest of the blackberries went into apple crumbles and pies.
I once tried making some blackberry jam when I inherited my father-in-law's family hand-me-down, genuine solid copper jam kettle. A real antique - it had belonged to his grandmother and weighed a ton empty! Sadly my results were not a success or even edible (although we tried!). We were still picking the woody bits from between our teeth a week later!
Nowadays I occasionally buy a small punnet with about a dozen blackberries from the supermarket. They work out at about 30 cents each!
Incidenally I still have the jam kettle - it's filled with flowers now. I wonder how much I'd get for it on "Flog It"?
Lady M seemed to accept the idea of using some in a crumble. I'll report back later.
My mother used to make jelly too, also in very small amounts for the same reason. I loved it as a child. She used to make Quince jelly too; even better!
I like a full-flavored jam, and they are not really available at the grocery store. My most favorite jam was my grandmother's strawberry or blueberry jam. No seeds/pits and just the right amount of sweetness.
I never use the full amount of Sugar to Fruit. Usually it's 1 Kilo Fruit to 600 gams of Sugar. Otherwise I find it much too sweet. I usually add the juice of a Lemon as well.
We 50/50 the blackberries with sour cooking apples (ensure a good set) and cook the whole lot to mush before adding the sugar - not so much of the bullet effect and the flavour is still there.
That sounds interesting. Jam rather than crumble. I'll remember that. I presume you use Bramley Apples.
Blackberry jam is available in Canadian grocery stores. The berries are more cooked than yours and broken up. No bullets.
Blackcurrant jam or jelly is nearly impossible to find unless you go to a German or Eastern European deli.
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