A few days ago I made the trek to the Anderson's to pick blackberries. I've done this once before with them and I believe this is becoming a fast tradition! There is nothing better than the creek flowing, the bees buzzing, the blackberry juice dripping from your fingers, the occasional snag from an unruly thorn, a few blackberries tossed at one another, the satisfaction that your hard work will pay off, and good conversations with my in-laws (soon-to-be).
Chad and I have been planning and thinking about our future, apartment hunting, and budgeting. The plan for our blackberries is to use them in many different forms for our own home. Chad is a die-hard lover of blackberry pie, so of course I had to make pie fillings to put in the freezer for winter month cravings. But, before I made the pies, I wanted to make jam. I have never made jam by myself from start to finish before. With the instruction and patience of my momma, I accomplished this new feat!
Here is the sequence:
I didn't take pictures of washing the berries. Also, I ran them through a food mill to get rid of most of the seeds.
You are left with this most glorious juice/pulp that smells divine! For this recipe you have to measure out the ingredients exactly.
In go the berries, lemon juice, and pectin.
Next goes the sugar. Yes, that is the full amount of sugar. Yes, you have to follow the recipe exactly, No, I do not eat gallons of jelly at a time. All things in moderation!
Now you cook it until it becomes thick, sugary, and sinful. I poured it into super hot/sanitized jelly jars and topped them with the lids that came out of boiling water. Turn them upside down for about thirty minutes. Turn them right side up and let them cool.
After all that work you are left with a huge mess!
But, it's worth it when you are left with 7 beautiful jars of jam!
With the blackberries from that day I made 7 jars of jam, 3 pie fillings for the freezer, and my mom made 5 jars of syrup. I went picking again yesterday and came home with 5 HUGE containers more of berries! These will all become pie fillings for the freezer. Chad will be elated! They will make great gifts, so don't worry, we are not going to live off of blackberry pie :)
