The first time I made blackberry jam was a tragedy. I blame it on not having a sugar thermometer, but it was mainly down to me having no idea what I was doing. I spend hours picking blackberries across Falmouth. Beautiful coastal paths covered in bushes make it a lovely exercise. I went with friends and my boyfriend, and after a few days, I had buckets of blackberries, ready to make jam. I felt accomplished and grown-up when I sterilised my new Kilner jars and started making the jam. I followed a recipe, but my mistake was letting it boil for too long. The jam was, of course, runny when warm, but as it cooled in the jars, it went rock solid. I’m not joking, there was no chance of getting any jam out of the jars. I could barely get a tiny bit out with a knife. It was a tough operation trying to clean the jars and a lot of boiling water was needed. Experiences like that are demoralising, especially when a lot of time and effort has gone in, you’ve dreamed about how good it’s going to taste and the fact that it should be the simplest thing in the world to make. This time, I’m making it easy for myself. Some might say fool-proof, but I wouldn’t go that far as we all have off days when even pouring jam into a jar proves a task. Anyhow, this should be simple, healthy and delicious. I made a jar and it lasted three days, so as soon as I’ve finished this I’ll be making another one.
Ingredients for one jar
- 100g frozen blackberries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp pectin powder
- 2 tbsp sugar
Method
- Bring the berries to the boil.
- Add the pectin powder and let boil for three minutes.
- Add the sugar, stir and remove from the heat.
- Pour the jam onto a sterilised jar and store for up to two weeks in the fridge (you will finish it within a week, trust me!)
The Anglo Nordic Kitchen 