Tuesday, January 6, 2009

BLACKBERRY JAM.....SO EASY.....SO GOOD!!



While doing my weekly shopping on Sunday I noticed that blackberries were on sale for $1.29 for a 1/2 pint. Sounded cheap to me and since every time I eat at Le Madelaine I have their blackberry jam I thought I would try making it myself. I always thought it was just too complicated to make jellies and jams and I was shying away from anything that needed to be bottled up in a Ball jar. Anything that sells in a case of 12 I try to stay away from.......Plus I was sure I would process it wrong and we would die from food poisoning....This time I thought why not make just enough for a small container, just for the two of us.......After all when you buy jam in the store you never buy anything other then one jar at a time....Why is it when you make jam that your'e expected to make enough to feed the neighborhood.....So, for a cheapie price I picked up 2 packages, some pectin and gave it a shot. To say this was too easy is an understatement. After figuring out the right amounts of sugar and pectin to use with the amount of fruit I had (and I am no math-genius..this step needed the help of a calculator) I proceeded to make an $8.00 jar of fancy jam for under $3.00......I thought of Manuela at The Pleasures of Homemaking and knew she would be proud......For the 2 half pints, or about 12 ounces, I used 1/3 of the package of pectin and one and a quarter cup of sugar....I put the berries in the Cuisinart to crush them a bit. I then put the berries and the pectin in a meduim saucepan and brought it to a full rolling boil..... I then added the sugar and stirred until it came to another rolling boil....I never knew that a rolling boil is when it continues to boil even though your stirring......I then took it off the stove and skimmed the foam off the top. I poured it into a glass container and sat it on the counter....a couple of hours later when it firmed up I skimmed off the top layer (like when pudding sets up) stirred it a tad then put it in the fridge. We had it this morning on Paula Dean's recipe for Sour Cream Muffins and that other delicious looking thing in the picture is a Red Pepper and Asiago Cheese Frittata....Bon Appetit!!

14 comments:

Lisa Pogue said...

Sounds very tasteeeeee!! Just curious about the picture for the title of your blog. It looks so quaint like they are inviting me in personally. I love it. Is it a real store you go to?

Salmagundi said...

We grow blackberries in our back yard, so I have scads of them in my freezer. I make a lot of cobbler, but guess I should try jam. My Mother-in-law makes strawberry jam all of the time and then freezes it. I bet that same recipe would work for blackberries. Thanks for the inspiration - I'm going to make some freezer blackberry jam. Sally

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Sue, I'm starving. May I come to your house??? LOL!

XO,

Sheila

Donna said...

Mmmmm, sounds so good, fresh homemade blackberry jam. And the frittata looks good too. I'm hungry!

Lisa Pogue said...

Thank you for answering my question. You actually answered two. I wondered about the name of your blog. You taught me something new. How wonderful to have spent time there. I love to visit with those that travel since I don't too often. Thanks so much for sharing!!

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Yummm.... my husband LOVES blackberry jam (especially his mom's)!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Tami said...

Good for you! I make freezer jam in the summer, since I/3 of the world's raspberries are grown in my county. Lots of strawberries, blueberries too.
It is easy and you don't have to make big batches.
Thanks for your good wishes regarding our flooding. it can only get better...

Country Girl said...

Awesome!
In my adult youth, I'd always make jams. By the dozens, I tell you. Made 'em with a friend and it was easy. Canning peaches is good, too but takes longer (to peel the peaches). But it's so rewarding, isn't it?!!

Deb said...

You are way more adventuresome than I...have never canned for fear of sickening my family. Guess my fear is not alone. I am quite the berry lover so this is tempting. But...I don't think I'm up to trying it just yet.

Shannon said...

What a great idea! You inspired me to make scones for breakfast so I could open a jar of jam I had canned last summer! Wonderful to have a taste of summer in the middle of snowy January!

Anonymous said...

LOL! I'm extremely proud of you! Your breakfast looks sooo good - all I had this morning was some hot oatmeal. I'd rather have had a frittata but I'm too lazy today!

I'm scared of all that boiling and what not that you have to do to make copious amounts of jam (the pressure cooker scares me too) so I usually just make enough for a week or so. Sometimes it's more like sauce but that's really good too!

Good job!

xo,

Manuela

Liz Harrell said...

You are speaking straight to my heart. I LOVE blackberry jam, it's my favorite.

Sandra Evertson said...

Oh! Mmmm,
That looks Delicious!
Sandra Evertson

Neabear said...

That sounds very yummy!