Blackberry Jam

Like some of the other reviewers, I have been trying to find non pectin recipes so I can avoid preservatives. This recipe has the correct proportion of sugar to berries (2 c. sugar to 3 c. crushed berries) if they are organic (look for wild berries at a farmer's market - they will have no pesticides and tend to be a little sweeter so you can use this proportion of sugar - many of the other recipes I have seen use 1 to 1 ratio of sugar to berries, which I am trying to avoid). Some other tips: once you bring the jam to a boil, it needs to boil rapidly with you stirring it so it doesn't scorch. It also needs to reach 8 degrees over the boiling point in your area to reach jelly stage (so, typically, 220 degrees). There are visual jelly stage tests if you don't have a thermometer - put a small plate in the freezer -- you can drop some of the hot boiling jam on the plate and tell when it is ready because it will instantly become thick like jam on the plate and not run (and then you can taste it - yummm!). You can also use a cool metal spoon to test it - when ready the jam will fall off the spoon in a sheet, instead of in drops. My batches typically take about 45 to 60 minutes to reach jelly stage (depending on the humidity), and I use a pan with a heavy, thick bottom and tall sides so it doesn't splatter (so takes a little longer). I also add fresh juice of one lemon after it has reached jelly stage and boil one more minute -- I think it brightens the flavor. This time, I also added 3 finely chopped fresh organic jalapenos, seeds and membranes removed. For the reviewer who asked about making it seedless, crush the berries then push the crush through a sieve. Thanks for the recipe!

I've tried this recipe twice, so far Blackberry syrup, not jam. The first batch I have remade according to some internet instructions I found, along with my mother's advice. It's still pretty runny. The taste is fine, but the consistency is still syrupy.

I was reorganizing my cold room when I found a couple of batches of Blackberry jam I had made with this recipe and I checked my reviews and it was not there so here it is! I opened a jar of the jam up it is set beautifully with a great smooth taste. The blackberries were from British Columbia the West Coast of Canada really big and juicy and I added 3 large Chipotle chile's in Adobe sauce and just before jarring the jam I added some orange liquor to the recipe for a sweet hot taste. We did have to cook the fruit down until we got it to jam stage other than that a very simple recipe. My DH and I do not like pectin so this really fit the bill. This recipe jam's up beautifully we gave some of it away to a friend who just loves it and so do we especially with cheese and crackers! Thanks, Dib's for posting this non - pectin recipe!

This recipe has good flavor. I needed a recipe that didn't call for pectin because I can't seen to find any here in Hungary. My jam set very well once it cooled but I did cook it for much longer than directed.

I would think this recipe needs some pectin added to it. I think the Sure Jell people have a blackberry jam recipe.