Blackberries are considered one of the most amazing berries. It is used by many confectioners and chefs around the world to prepare sweets. In their shape, blackberries resemble raspberries, but differ from them in color and brightness of taste. The pronounced taste is balanced by a slight note of sourness, and therefore it is not surprising that the brew from this product turns out so tasty.

Young children especially like blackberry jam, because it can be used with any porridge, spread on bread, put in tea, or simply eaten with a spoon. It is especially pleasant and healthy to enjoy such a delicacy in winter, when there is a deficiency of vitamins.

Blackberry jam is often used in restaurants for making muffins, cheesecakes or soufflés. At home, this delicacy is served with porridge or pancakes.

Blackberries not only have a wonderful taste, but also a lot of useful properties, of which we can highlight:

• strengthening the walls of blood vessels;
• decrease in temperature during acute respiratory infections;
• increasing immunity;
• help in the fight against colds;
• treatment of cystitis and kidney disease;
• relief from inflammation or pneumonia.

8 blackberry recipes

Over many decades, a colossal number of recipes for making blackberry jam at home have appeared. Many of them differ in the composition of ingredients, obtaining a unique taste or maintaining beneficial properties. Among all the diversity there are:

Classic blackberry jam

To make classic jam from blackberries the following ingredients are used:

• 1100 g blackberries;
• 1100 g sugar.

Before you start preparing the jam, the berries must first be prepared. First, spoiled blackberries are sorted, and the remaining berries are washed under cold water. Next, you need to give time for the excess water to drain and only then place the product in a basin or pan with a wide and flat bottom. In this state, the blackberries are cooked for one hour, with the constant addition of sugar. As a result, you can see how the juice begins to stand out. The blackberries need to be boiled several times, stirring gently so as not to damage the berries. At the end of cooking, the hot jam is distributed into clean and dry jars and well sealed with lids.

Five Minute Recipe

Blackberries are sorted, removing spoiled berries, and twigs and stalks are removed. Use plain paper to drain the water after washing. As soon as the berries are dry, they are placed in a basin, but unlike the classic recipe, here the berries are laid in layers with sugar. The berries must remain in this state for 5–6 hours for the juice to begin to release. As a result, you can get a product that is sufficiently Boil for 5 minutes until fully cooked.

A few minutes before the end of cooking, stir the jam and add a few grams of citric acid. Place the resulting sweetness in clean and dry glass jars, but do not cover the jam with lids. Instead of lids, a plastic bag is used, and the jam itself is stored in the cold.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg blackberries;
• 820 g sugar;
• 3–4 g citric acid.

Jam with blackberries and raspberries

Ingredients:

• blackberries 1 kg;
• raspberries 1 kg;
• sugar 2 kg.

To begin with, raspberries and blackberries are sorted, the stalks are removed and distributed into different containers. At the first stage, the berries are boiled separately. The approximate ratio of the mass of sugar and berries is 1 to 1. During cooking, the liquid is stirred, but so as not to damage the product itself. After boiling, raspberries and blackberries are placed in a cool place for 11–13 hours in order for the juice to stand out. Then the juice is poured into a separate pan and boiled, constantly adding sugar and stirring. The berries are added half an hour before cooking. The mixture is boiled for about 6 minutes, after which it is allowed to cool completely, heated again to a boil for 5 minutes and distributed hot into glass jars.

Blackberry jam with apples

Ingredients:

First of all, apples and berries are sorted and washed. Apples are peeled, cored and cut into small pieces. Next, the chopped apple pieces are poured with water and brought to a boil for 10 minutes. The fruits should eventually soften and only then add pre-squeezed lemon juice. The mixture should remain at a boil for a few more minutes and then cool.

After a few hours, the jam is brought to a boil again, berries and sugar are added. When heating, you need to ensure that foam does not form on the surface. As soon as the foam stops appearing on the surface, add cardamom and liqueur to the pan. In this state, the jam is cooked for 3–4 minutes, and then distributed into jars. One of the subtleties of this recipe is that parchment paper is placed between the lid and the jar.

Cooking blackberries with lemon, bananas or oranges

Essentially, making jam with lemons, oranges or bananas - these are three different recipes. The cooking process itself does not change, but different ingredients are used. For example, ingredients such as:

• 1 kg blackberries;
• 980 g sugar;
• 140 g lemon, 400 g orange or 1 kg bananas.

You can only use one of the three ingredients, as their combination can overwhelm the taste of the blackberries.

The berries are pre-sorted and washed. The lemon is washed and the yellow zest is grated. After this, add berries and lemon zest to the pan and stir while heating the ingredients to release the juice. After boiling, begin to pour into the pan evenly. add sugar and lemon juice. It is important to constantly stir the brew carefully so as not to damage the berries. At the last stage, you should get a thick liquid that can be placed in jars. To sterilize, the jars are placed in boiling water for several minutes.

Instead of lemon, you can use orange or banana, in the proportions indicated above. In some cases, a small amount of lemon juice is added along with the orange.

Recipe for seedless blackberry jam

Ingredients:

• 1050 g sugar;
• 1050 g blackberries;
• 500 ml water.

In fact, the procedure itself is similar to the classic recipe. The special thing about this recipe is that the berries are ground after cooking and thus remove all the bones. The disadvantage of this cooking method is that there are no whole berries left in the jam, and the product itself ultimately resembles puree, but the taste itself does not change.

There is nothing difficult about making blackberry jam. Even a culinary novice can handle this task, especially when there are step-by-step recipes at hand. True, when cooking you definitely need follow some nuances, which will help not only to obtain delicious sweetness, but also to preserve all the beneficial properties of the berries.

Conclusion

Excellent taste, unique health properties, beautiful appearance - these are all the qualities that blackberries have. It makes a brew very rich and enjoyable not only for adults, but also for children. You can prepare this sweetness at home, even without basic skills. The main thing is to follow the step-by-step instructions of the recipes and follow the necessary recommendations.

Everyone knows that blackberries are not only tasty, but also a very healthy berry. Therefore, many novice gardeners grow this climbing shrub in their garden plots. Processing berries for the winter, namely, making jam, is also becoming relevant.

It is very important to know how to properly prepare blackberry jam so that it is delicious without losing its healing properties. The intricacies of making blackberry jam are known to every experienced housewife. And for beginners, a list of simple but very important rules and secrets in this sweet business will be useful.

By reading all these tips and rules, as well as adding your own culinary secrets, you will make great blackberry jam.

How to cook blackberry jam correctly

1. Blackberries have a reputation for being a capricious berry, so making the “right jam” should start with choosing the berries.
2. You should not use too ripe berries in jam. All blackberries selected for cooking should be of the same degree of ripeness and approximately the same size. Then the jam will not contain undercooked or overcooked berries.
3. Wild blackberries are less juicy than garden berries, although they are more aromatic and healthy. Therefore, when making wild blackberry jam, choose a recipe that adds water to the berry mass.
4. If the blackberries are not ripe, their acidity may spoil the jam, so consider adding extra sugar.

Processing berries before cooking and cooking

1. If possible, use gloves when handling blackberries before cooking, as these berries are an excellent colorant.
2. It is not advisable to wash blackberries before making jam. But if such a need arises, place the berries in a colander and rinse in running water, and then dry on paper towels. Alternatively, simply dip the berries in a colander into a container of water, immediately remove them and place them on a paper towel or napkins.
3. It is advisable to prepare the jam in small portions, about 1 kg each, so that you do not crush the berries.
4. While cooking, stir the jam very carefully, using a wooden spoon or spatula. It’s better not to stir the berry mass at all, but just rock the pan in a circle. Then you will be able to keep most of the berries intact.
5. Instead of sugar, you can use honey to make blackberry jam.
6. To achieve a certain thickness of the jam, you can cook it in several stages. Short (several minutes) cooking and long (several hours) infusion contribute to better saturation of the berries with syrup. This means that the jam will thicken better without exhausting boiling.

How much and in what to cook blackberry jam

• Blackberries are a delicate berry, so you shouldn’t cook them for a long time. The jam cooking time depends on the chosen recipe and the amount of additional ingredients. Usually blackberry jam is cooked in one go for 5-10 minutes. Cooking the jam for “five minutes” in one step is the end, and the classic recipe involves several cookings with infusion.
• In the case of jam, the cooking time increases to 1 hour and involves achieving thickness by adding more sugar.
• For cooking blackberry jam, enamel dishes are not the best choice; the workpiece in it can burn. It is better to prepare a wide pan with a thick bottom or a cauldron with low sides. You can also use a basin made of stainless steel, copper or food-grade aluminum.

Why did the jam become moldy during storage?

• Cooking duration conditions are not met. Bacteria develop faster in undercooked jam. Check the jam for readiness using the method of spreading a drop on a cold saucer.
• There is not enough sugar in the jam. After all, sugar is the most important preservative in dessert preparations. For blackberries, you should take at least 1 kg of sugar per 1 kg of berries.
• Jam should be placed only in dry, sterile jars and rolled up only when cold, unlike compotes and other preparations.

Frozen blackberry jam

1. Blackberries do not ripen quickly, so it makes sense to freeze a certain amount of berries in order to make more jam later.
2. The ratio of sugar and berries can be the same as in the fresh version - 1:1. After filling the berries with sugar, add a little water to the cooking vessel so that the jam does not burn until the berries melt and release the juice.
3. Frozen blackberries should be cooked at one time longer than fresh ones - 10-12 minutes.
4. If you're freezing blackberries for homemade jam, you can add a few strawberries to each serving.

• If the berries are picked in the rain or simply in the rainy season they are watery and heavy, the jam will contain a lot of syrup (it is better to drain it for compote). Please note that if the jam is too liquid, foam will not form.
• To achieve greater jam thickness without increasing the cooking time, take more sugar per 1 kg of berries - up to 1.5 kg or use recipes using pectin, gelatin and other thickeners.
• Alternatively, add berries or fruits high in pectin (apples, gooseberries, red currants) or a few drops of lemon juice to the blackberry jam.

What spices to add to blackberry jam

• If you like spicy aromas in jam, you can add cloves during cooking, as well as the spices that go with it - rosemary and cardamom.
• Blackberry jam will be given an amazing aroma by mint, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Good luck with your preparations and delicious blackberry jam!

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Blackberry jam is a wonderful product on our table. Fragrant, very tasty and incredibly healthy, it will delight you both in the autumn weather and in the winter cold with pleasant memories of summer days, and will also give the body those vitamins and microelements that will help cope with any ill health or blues.

Beginning housewives often ask: “How to make blackberry jam? How much sugar should you put in? How long should you keep it on the fire? What kind of container is best to do this in?” etc. Bringing to your attention various recipes, we will dwell on each of the issues in detail. After all, many recommendations are universal and tell not only how to make blackberry jam, but also how to make jam in general, from any fruit and berries.

The first recipe is called “quick” or “five-minute”. This is how raspberries, strawberries, wild strawberries, currants and other small berries are prepared. The raw materials must be of good quality, preferably a little unripe, without spoiled specimens. Blackberries are quite tender, so as soon as you pick them from the bush, put them into processing. Do not wait for the product to become succulent. This especially applies to how to cook blackberry jam in 5 minutes. If the berries spoil, such preservation will not be stored for long. Therefore, sort them out, pour them into a colander, and rinse them in running water. The preparatory work is now complete. Let's start cooking.

Cook for 5 minutes

Wide copper basins, brass or stainless steel, are best suited for jams, marmalades and marmalades. In addition, you can use ordinary cast iron or cauldrons. But enamel pans are not suitable, as berries and fruits burn in them. How to make blackberry jam? Pour the berries into a cast iron or basin and cover them with sugar at the rate of 1 to 1.5. Thus, for every kilogram of berries there is one and a half granulated sugar.

At first, of course, half the norm will be enough. Sugar is necessary for blackberries to release juice. Cover the cast iron and place it in a cool place for 4-6 hours, from night to morning. Then add the rest of the sugar and place the cast iron on the stove over high heat. When the jam boils, reduce the heat to low and cook the berry mass for exactly 5 minutes, stirring. Then, straight from the stove, pour it into dry, sterilized jars and seal. Turn the jars upside down, cover and leave to cool for a day. Then take it to the cellar. You can make such delicious blackberry jam in just 5 minutes! Not difficult, right? By the way, it is not necessary to roll it with tin lids - you can also close it with ordinary plastic ones. In this case, only the jars should be stored in a cool, dry room or on refrigerator shelves.

Assorted jam

If the food of the gods - ambrosia - is not an invention of the ancients, then this is probably the most wonderful blackberry jam, the recipes for which we offer you. In particular, assorted raspberries and blackberries. Not only does it taste amazing, but the aroma is divine. And preparing the delicacy is also quite simple.

Ingredients: 1 kg of each type of berry and one and a half to two kilograms of sugar. What should you do? Of course, sort through the raw materials, sort out the unusable specimens, and rinse them in water. Then transfer the berries to a cooking bowl, sprinkling them with sugar. Place in a cool place to release the juice. And after 6-8 hours, start cooking over low heat first so that the sugar dissolves well. Then make it larger and let the berries boil well. Stir with a wooden spatula to prevent the raw materials from burning. Cook the raspberries and blackberries over fairly high heat for half an hour, skim off the foam and scum. Pour cast iron jam into prepared jars and seal. This cooking method is also fast.

Original jam

Here's another interesting recipe for making blackberry jam. Surely many housewives will like it. The peculiarity of the preparation is that, in addition to berries, blackberry leaves are also taken as raw material. Ingredients for jam: 1 kilogram of sugar and blackberries and 100 g of leaves. And also half a liter of water and 5 g of acid - citric or ascorbic. Make a decoction from the leaves and water. Cooking time - 20 minutes. Pour 1 cup (250 g) of the broth into a saucepan, add sugar and prepare syrup. Sort the berries, wash them, place them in a cast iron pot or basin. Pour syrup over them and leave until juice appears. Next, add the acid and put it on the boil, pouring in the rest of the leaf infusion. The process should last 15-20 minutes. After this, transfer to sterilized jars and close. This jam is distinguished not only by its special pleasant taste. It is also very healing and restores strength.

Raw "assorted"

This jam can be made only from blackberries, but it will be more appetizing and healthier if you take equal parts of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, honeysuckle or currants. The main thing is that for 1 part of berries there is one and a half to two parts of sugar.

Sort the freshly picked fruits so that there is no debris, leaves, or sepals. Rinse the strawberries and honeysuckle and let the water drain. Raspberries and blackberries do not need to be washed. Pour sugar over the berries, mix, place in jars, and screw. Store canned food in a cool place.

Blackberries belong to the same family as raspberries - hence the striking external similarity of their berries, leaves, and shrubs as a whole. However, unlike the widely cultivated raspberries, blackberries still grow in the wild (they are grown only in the United States and Mexico), have a sour-tart flavor more similar to lingonberries, and a purple-burgundy, almost black color of the fruit. It is widespread throughout Eurasia, which is why recipes for blackberry jam for the winter were not created today - they are almost as old as most European civilizations.

In general, American and Mexican blackberries are best suited for making jam. They are crossed with raspberries, which is why their fruits are more aromatic, juicier and sweeter than the domestic “savage”. However, the medicinal properties are approximately the same for all varieties of blackberries, and the sour local varieties grown in natural conditions make the jam more resistant to spoilage due to the high concentration of food acids - good natural preservatives.

Berry composition

The benefits of blackberry jam are due to the composition of its berries, or rather, fruits, since, according to botanists, each individual “grain” in what we are accustomed to consider as a whole berry is more reminiscent in structure of a cherry or apricot (that is, a drupe fruit ). They contain not only pectin (fiber), but also:

• carotene is a precursor of retinol (vitamin A);
• vitamins E - extremely important for healthy hair and skin;
• Vitamin K is responsible for the ability of blood to clot during injury.

Plus, each blackberry fruit contains seven to eight (depending on the place and growing conditions) B vitamins, including niacin (vitamin B3), which a person needs daily and in large quantities (from 25 to 50 mg).

Blackberries have the highest concentration of ascorbic acid - vitamin C, known not only for its ability to provoke allergies, but also to increase the body's resistance to colds, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and participate in the regeneration of mucous and connective tissues throughout the body. In addition to ascorbic acid, its berries contain a number of food acids, including malic, tartaric and even salicylic.

But what is especially interesting is the set of microelements contained in blackberries, many of which are rare for food products, and therefore very valuable. In particular, in addition to the fairly common potassium, magnesium, manganese, calcium, phosphorus, sodium and iron, blackberries are rich in:

• cobalt;
• molybdenum;
• chrome;
• nickel;
• barium;
• vanadium;
• titanium.

This “assortment” is given to it by growing in soil that has retained the diversity of its natural composition and natural fertilization. That is why the mineral composition of its “cultivated” American varieties is often poorer. Another unique feature of blackberries is the presence of a significant amount of tannins in its fruits. For fruits/berries in general and raspberries in particular, this phenomenon is atypical. But they give blackberries a tart, astringent taste and a special aroma.

But every coin has a downside. In this case, it is such that it is impossible to predict or study the entire composition of the soil in which the blackberries we collected grew. And along with microelements that are beneficial to health, dangerous elements may well accumulate in it, including radioactive elements (strontium, radium, etc.), hydrocarbons from an atmosphere oversaturated with exhaust gases, and toxic industrial waste.

Therapeutic effects

The medicinal properties of blackberry jam are most actively used in the treatment of colds, since it is rich in both vitamin C and salicylic acid - natural antipyretics and antiseptics that can relieve not only symptoms common to acute respiratory infections such as cough, sore throat when swallowing and speaking, but also aseptic inflammations in the joints (say, age-related ones like arthritis and osteochondrosis), infections of the digestive tract. They also restore the acidic environment of the stomach (in case of hypoacidosis), reduce blood clotting, which is useful for atherosclerosis and a tendency to thrombosis.

Blackberries and jam made from them are often used as a multivitamin and mineral supplement to the diet, especially when it is so poor in them as in winter. It is believed that in this capacity it improves metabolism and the functioning of all endocrine glands of the body, so much so that it even helps improve potency in men and fertility in women. Interestingly, wild blackberries without added sugar are one of the few berries approved for diabetes.

The sugar content of blackberries is relatively low compared to its “cultivated” relative raspberries, as well as analogues like strawberries. That is why, like lingonberries and apples, diabetics can eat them, albeit no more than 200 g per day (or a little more, depending on the carbohydrate index of the rest of the daily menu). Blackberries are also approved as a multivitamin supplement during pregnancy and breastfeeding, if the expectant mother is not allergic or toxic to it.

Restrictions and contraindications

Possible harm from consuming blackberry jam and especially its fresh berries is due to the high concentration of food acids in it. Food with this composition is not suitable for everyone. For example, people with high stomach acidity very rarely crave sour vegetables, fruits and additives like vinegar in marinades. And the instinct that guides them is right in this case.

Hyperacidosis can also be congenital, but most often various imbalances of acidic or alkaline environments appear with age as a result of diseases of the digestive tract. Consistently high acidity provokes aversion to foods with a sour taste and over time can lead to gastritis, stomach ulcers, and Barrett's esophagus (precancer).

In this state of affairs, absorbing additional portions of any acids from food is truly a bad idea. Plus, if gastritis and ulcers exist on their own, it doesn’t matter at what acidity they occur. The only important thing is that food high in other acids will irritate the already inflamed mucous membrane or corrode the edges of the ulcers (if any). That is why blackberry jam and fresh berries are not recommended for hyperacidosis, gastritis and ulcers. Plus, any “communication” with blackberries is contraindicated in the following cases.

• For allergies. And, in general, her intolerance of any nature. During pregnancy and lactation, this applies not only to the mother, but also to the child. So you need to start taking blackberries carefully and in any case do not eat more than 300 g of them per day.
• For diarrhea. Or a tendency towards it, since blackberries and jam from them can provoke increased gas formation and loose stools.
• For gout. Gout starts with the appearance in the body of excess uric acid (one of the purine bases - products of the digestion of meat and animal products in general), which should normally be excreted by the kidneys. If kidney function is impaired or too much purine enters the blood, the body begins to “remove” this substance from the bloodstream into the joint capsules, which triggers their inflammation and degeneration. There are no purines or uric acid in blackberries and blackberry jam, but there are other acids. They also tend to accumulate in the joint capsules, and their metabolism in gout is also disrupted - just a little less clearly. That is why their use for gout and urate stones/sand in the kidneys provoked by it is extremely undesirable.
• With oxalaturia. Oxalate stones are formed not from uric acid, but from oxalic acid, the highest content of which is observed in sorrel. But it is found in lettuce, dill and parsley, lingonberries and most sour berries, including blackberries (in low concentrations).

In addition to gout, there are other metabolic disorders, but they are often hereditary rather than age-related. For example, among them are phenylketonuria (a genetically determined disorder in the absorption of the amino acid phenylalanine) and hemochromatosis (also a congenital inability to metabolize iron, due to which it is deposited in the joints). With the first disease, you can eat blackberries and blackberry jam, but with the second, it is prohibited.

Recipes for blackberry jam for the winter

In general, regarding the question of how to make blackberry jam, it is enough to just say that with such a high content of natural preservatives in the form of organic acids, it needs sterilization and other culinary tricks no more than currants or lingonberries, famous for their resistance to spoilage. And one of the fastest and most popular recipes all over the world is blackberry jam without cooking.

No cooking

Peculiarities. This “execution” of blackberry jam allows you to save time and preserve food acids in the composition of its fruits, which are not too resistant to heat.

You will need:

• kilogram of ripe blackberries;
• kilogram of granulated sugar;
• glass jars with lids for rolling up.

Preparation

1. Place the fruits in a large bowl of cold water and separate the blackberry stalks in it so as not to crush the berries. Then rinse again and dry on paper/waffle towels.
2. Place the blackberries in a dry enamel bowl, add sugar, and mash everything with a wooden masher or pestle. After this, stir, cover and place on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for half a day.
3. Separately, sterilize jars and lids by holding them over hot steam and wipe dry with a towel. Mix the blackberries with sugar again, place in jars and seal.

To enhance the naturally weak aroma of blackberries, you can freely add citrus zest (from half a fruit per kilogram of jam), other berries and fruits (in particular, raspberries, peaches or even nuts). You can also cook it with cherry leaves, cinnamon or cloves.

"Five Minute"

Peculiarities. In fact, five-minute blackberry jam, along with a similar recipe for strawberries, takes longer to cook, since you will have to put it on the fire and then remove it several times. In terms of preserving vitamins, the recipe is not as successful as the previous one. But it allows you, if desired, to make blackberry jam with whole berries.

You will need:

• kilogram of granulated sugar;
• glass of drinking water.

Preparation

1. Place the berries in a deep and wide bowl with cold water, separate their stalks without removing them from the water so as not to crush them. Rinse again and dry on paper/waffle towels.
2. Place the sugar in a container intended for making jam, add water and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns into a clear, thick, homogeneous syrup.
3. Gently dip the berries into the syrup, dropping them one at a time, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook it over medium heat for exactly five minutes, then remove and do not stir, but gently shake in a circular motion.
4. Place the dishes on the stove again and repeat all procedures twice more.
5. Sterilize jam jars and lids by holding them over hot steam. Wipe them dry, put blackberry jam with whole berries in jars and roll up.

The ideal conditions for storing the resulting product are not a refrigerator, but a cellar or a cool pantry. By the way, it can also be made from a mixture of blackberries with related berries - strawberries or raspberries. By keeping the berries whole and in a completely transparent syrup, this method allows you to make blackberry jam at home as if it were made in a factory.

With citrus

Peculiarities. The sour forest blackberry does not need the addition of citrus slices themselves - except perhaps its rare cultivated varieties, since they are much sweeter than their wild “relative”. But due to the weaker aroma than raspberries, blackberry jam can be cooked with the addition of lemon, tangerine, and orange zest.

You will need:

• a kilogram of ripe blackberries;
• kilogram of granulated sugar;
• zest a little more than half a lemon or half a larger fruit;
• glass of drinking water.

Preparation

1. Wash the selected citrus, cut off only the orange/yellow part of the zest from its half (white is not required), chop it into pieces slightly smaller than the blackberries themselves.
2. Rinse the blackberries in cold water, remove the stems without removing them, then remove and place on paper/waffle towels to dry.
3. Pour sugar into a bowl for making jam, add water and place on the stove. Bring to a boil and cook with vigorous stirring until the mixture turns into a thick, clear, homogeneous sugar syrup.
4. Add citrus zest to the finished syrup without removing it from the heat and cook, continuing to stir, for ten minutes.
5. After this, lower the blackberries into the mixture - a few pieces at a time, using a slotted spoon so as not to crush them. Reduce the flame to low and leave for another two to three minutes, without stirring.
6. Sterilize the jars and their lids over hot steam, pour the finished jam hot, slightly cooled, and roll up. Let it cool, wrap it in a blanket or warm clothes, and store it in the pantry/cellar.

The principle of preparing blackberry jam according to this recipe is always the same, regardless of the type of citrus fruit chosen. This way it turns out much more fragrant. And if necessary, to “acidify” it a little, you can add coarsely chopped pulp of half a lemon or a third of a large orange/grapefruit, etc., for each kilogram of berries.

"Jam" with gelatin

Peculiarities. Due to the significant content of pectin, blackberry jam itself turns out thick. But if you want to make something even more similar to jam or even jelly, it is better to prepare it with gelatin or banana. Bananas are rich in gluten, so they are completely boiled, giving the jam approximately the same consistency as gelatin, only with a different, typical aroma.

You will need:

• kilogram of ripe blackberries;
• kilogram of granulated sugar;
• 40 g gelatin;
• glass of drinking water.

Preparation

1. Place the fruits in a bowl of cold water and separate the blackberry stalks directly in the water so as not to crush the berries. Then rinse again and dry on paper/waffle towels.
2. Mix gelatin and sugar in a separate bowl, carefully place the blackberries in a bowl for making jam, sprinkling them with a mixture of gelatin and sugar during the folding process. Cover everything together with a lid and leave to brew for ten hours.
3. Then add water to the blackberries that have already given juice, sugar and gelatin, place on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally and skimming foam from the surface of the jam with a slotted spoon, for ten minutes.
4. Sterilize the jars and their lids by holding them over steam. Remove the finished jam from the heat, wait less than a minute and immediately pour into jars so that the gelatin does not harden prematurely. Roll up the blackberry jam while still hot, let it cool without wrapping it and put it in the cellar/refrigerator.

If you want to replace gelatin with a banana, you need to take one banana cut into medium pieces for every kilogram of blackberries. And if the jam made with it seems too sweet, you can reduce the amount of added sugar. Each added banana should cost about minus 100 g of granulated sugar.

Technological cooking methods

Modern technologies require a new approach to the recipe and methods of making jam. Our grandmothers used only wood/coal stoves and gas stoves, but we already have multicookers, microwave ovens, and convection ovens at hand.

In a slow cooker

Peculiarities. Blackberry jam in a slow cooker turns out fragrant even just due to lemon (both zest and fresh juice). That’s why you don’t have to add cloves to it if you wish.

You will need:

• a kilogram of ripe blackberries;
• kilogram of sugar;
• four pieces of cloves;
• fresh juice and zest of half a lemon.

Preparation

1. Rinse blackberries in cold water. Remove the stems without removing them from the water, then remove and place on paper/waffle towels to remove any remaining moisture.
2. Place the blackberries in layers in the multicooker bowl, sprinkling them with sugar, and set aside for an hour, covering with a lid or towel.
3. Cut off only the yellow part of the lemon zest, cut it into pieces half the size of the blackberries themselves. Squeeze lemon juice separately.
4. Add fresh juice, zest and cloves to blackberries with sugar, place the bowl in the multicooker, open the valve on the lid.
5. Start the stewing program by setting the timer to twenty to twenty-five (for low-power multicookers) minutes.
6. Meanwhile, sterilize the jars and lids over hot steam and let them dry.
7. Open the multicooker after its program has completed, wait no more than a minute and transfer the finished jam into jars. Roll up the lids while it is still hot, let it cool without wrapping it and store it in the cellar/pantry/refrigerator.

So, preparing jam in a slow cooker is no easier or faster than using gas, and you shouldn’t expect any special benefits from it. All technical features and details of the recipe are also related only to the specifics of the operation of the equipment itself, and the proportions and contents remain almost the same as for ordinary jam. But for many modern housewives this is simply a matter of habit.

On the air fryer

Peculiarities. Another recipe for blackberry jam, “executed” on modern equipment. Like a multicooker, an air fryer especially clearly reveals its advantages when preparing not jam, for which a gas stove is enough, but dishes from meat, fish, and offal. At the same time, one of the special advantages of blackberry jam made with its help is the ability to make it without sugar.

You will need:

• two kilograms of ripe blackberries;
• pre-sterilized jars for rolling.

Preparation

1. Remove the rubber bands from under the rims of the seaming lids. Wash the blackberries in a wide, deep bowl filled with cold water. Remove the stems without removing the berries from the water, then dry on paper/waffle towels.
2. Place the blackberries in jars and cover with lids without rubber bands. Set the air fryer to 260°C and cook the jam at it for twenty minutes.
3. When the fruits inside the jars “settle”, open them and pour a fresh portion on top, put them back in the air fryer for the same time, at the same temperature.

The procedure should be repeated until the supply of berries is exhausted or the jars are completely filled with jam. After this, you need to insert the previously removed rubber bands back under the rims of the seaming lids and close the resulting preservation before it cools down.

Regarding how to cook blackberry jam in an air fryer with sugar, we can say that its fruits need to be mixed with sugar eight hours before cooking and only then put into jars. The mixture must be prepared at the same 260 °C, but not twenty minutes, but only fifteen. Then you should reduce the air fryer temperature to 120 ° C and leave the jam to simmer for another five minutes. Everything turns out much faster and without the effect of digesting the fruits that were put in the jar first, although it is much higher in calories.

Blackberries, or as they were called before, “royal berries,” are similar in appearance to raspberries. The healing properties of the black, very sweet, aromatic berry were known even before our era. You can more often find forest blackberries than garden ones. Gardeners are put off by the plant’s many thorns: picking a berry requires some effort.

Many confectioners and chefs love to use blackberries in their dishes. This is a favorite delicacy not only among adults, but also among children. It is put into baked goods, desserts, salads, cocktails, smoothies, fruit drinks and other drinks, and used as a filling for dumplings.

How to make blackberry jam for the winter?

We offer you a collection of recipes, among which you will definitely choose a method that is convenient for you.

• The classic recipe for making blackberry jam is prepared in two ways. In one of them, the berries are poured with prepared sugar syrup and left for 3-5 hours to infuse. Only then the jam is cooked in two steps. In the second, the berries are covered with sugar and left overnight to release the juice. Then it is boiled and canned. The ratio of berries and sugar is always the same, 1:1.
• A favorite recipe for “high-speed” blackberry jam is a five-minute recipe. It does not require long-term heat treatment of the berries, so all the taste qualities are preserved as much as possible.
• If the housewife has very little time that she can devote to preparing this dessert, then there is a way to cook it in a multicooker assistant.
• One of children's favorite treats is bread with jam. To do this, it must be thick enough. For such cases, choose a simple recipe for thick blackberry jam for the winter with gelatin.
• To preserve all the vitamins, you can make jam without cooking. Jars of it will keep well in the refrigerator.
• Add other berries or fruits to blackberries - and its taste will completely change! For a duet with blackberries, apples, currants, pears, plums, bananas and all other fruits are suitable.
• Just one orange or lemon will add sourness and a citrus note to the dessert. In this recipe for garden blackberry jam for the winter, you can only add citrus zest.
• Multi-component jam will be very tasty. It is brewed from a whole bouquet of fruits and berries - raspberries, blackberries, plums and lemon.
• Black berries go well with rose petals and watermelon rinds. For thickness, add nuts and pine cones. There are even recipes for blackberry jam with vegetables.
• Blackberry leaves will help enhance the beneficial properties of jam and its healing effect. To the classic recipe, add a decoction of the leaves and 5 g of citric acid. The decoction is prepared as follows: 100 g of leaves are poured into 0.5 liters of water and boiled for 15-20 minutes.

What are the benefits of blackberry jam?

Not everyone knows that blackberries are a real storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. When cooking jam, many vitamins, organic acids, pectin, tannins and other useful elements are preserved. It is only important not to overcook it and follow the cooking technology.

• It is superior in vitamin C content to raspberries and has a diaphoretic effect. It has been noticed that if you regularly eat blackberry jam in the autumn-winter period, then viruses will bypass you. Carotene, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus will help strengthen the immune system for adults and children. Beneficial substances remove toxins from the body during acute respiratory viral infections and alleviate the condition at high temperatures. Volatile antibiotics found in blackberries act as antiseptics for the respiratory tract.
• Blackberry dishes help prevent the development of cancer; it prevents cancer cells from multiplying in tumors.
• Regular consumption of “black raspberries” prevents the development of atherosclerosis, allows you to cleanse and strengthen the walls of blood vessels, and helps improve cerebral circulation.
• The pectin found in this black berry removes various harmful substances, poisons, and pesticides from the body.
• Tea with blackberry jam at night will help fight insomnia and has a positive effect on the entire nervous system.
• Vitamin PP is necessary for normal heart function.
• Blackberries improve metabolism and are very useful for intestinal function: they contain a lot of organic acids. Jam made from it will be useful for people suffering from intestinal disorders, as well as obesity.
• Many people note that desserts with blackberries help improve vision. This is natural: the berry contains a large amount of vitamin A.
• Blackberry sweetness helps cope with diseases of the kidneys, bladder, and liver.
• Blackberry desserts will help make your hair, skin, and nails beautiful thanks to the bioflavonoids it contains.

Who needs to eat blackberry jam with caution?

Blackberries are a fairly strong allergen. It should be used with caution by people prone to food allergies. For children, it is introduced into the diet gradually, starting with 1 spoon.

If not everyone can enjoy fresh berries, then jam has practically no restrictions if you use it constantly, but in moderation.

People suffering from peptic ulcers and high acidity should eat blackberry products with caution.

Is blackberry jam suitable for pregnant and nursing mothers?

Since blackberries are enriched with many vitamins, minerals, organic substances and beneficial microelements, they have a beneficial effect on the body of the expectant mother and baby. It will also be indispensable in the period after childbirth: it will help raise hemoglobin, give strength, strengthen weakened immunity, and help normalize metabolism. However, you need to be careful, as the allergen can be passed on to the baby through the milk. You should stop eating blackberry desserts if you experience diarrhea, discomfort in the kidneys and bladder.

Blackberry jam for children

Children eat blackberry jam with great pleasure. It can be introduced as complementary food in parallel with raspberries, gooseberries and other berries. Fresh fruits can cause allergies, so it’s better to start getting acquainted with blackberries with jam. However, its seeds have an allergenic effect. For kids, it is better to choose a seedless jam recipe. The berries are rubbed through a sieve.

Is blackberry jam good for diabetes?

It is possible and even necessary. Blackberries contain glucose, fructose and sucrose. Diabetics are recommended to consume this product regularly, as it helps normalize blood sugar levels and has a good effect on metabolism.

Subtleties of making blackberry jam

How to make blackberry jam correctly?

Blackberries are a capricious berry. It happens that the jam turns out to be not exactly what you would like. Therefore, the “right jam” begins with the choice of berries.

Berries that are too ripe should not be used. All berries must be of the same degree of ripeness, otherwise the jam may then ferment. You also need to make sure that their size is approximately the same, then there will be no undercooked or overcooked berries.

Forest blackberries are usually smaller in size, while garden blackberries are larger, juicier, but less healthy. For less juicy varieties, it is better to choose recipes that add water.

Unripe blackberries can spoil the jam, making it sour.

It is advisable to use very fresh berries, recently picked.

1. It is better to work with blackberries with gloves; they are an excellent dye.
2. The blackberries are placed in a wide basin and filled with water. Let it stand for a while and sort it out, take out the leaves and remove the stalks. The berries are washed very carefully, just lift them up and down so that the juice does not leak out.
3. After this, the blackberries are laid out on a napkin to dry. The jam is prepared from small portions - one kilogram at a time, so as not to crush the berries.
4. During cooking, carefully stir with a wooden spoon or simply rock the pan in a circle. Then the berries will be whole. Instead of sugar, you can add honey.
5. It is better to cook for a short time, in several approaches, to preserve the vitamins and aroma. Several hours should pass between cooking sessions for the jam to infuse and thicken.
6. The finished jam is placed in sterilized, dry and cooled jars. Then it needs to be cooled so that the berries do not boil over.

How long should you cook blackberry jam for the winter?

The time you spend making blackberry jam depends on the recipe you choose and the number of additional ingredients. Simple blackberry jam takes 5-10 minutes to cook if you choose the five-minute recipe. The classic recipe involves boiling 1-2 times, which takes more time. Blackberries are tender, so you shouldn’t cook them for a long time. The recipe for making jam involves boiling blackberries until thick with a lot of sugar, so the cooking time increases to an hour.

What to make jam in

You should not choose enamel dishes; the jam may burn in it.

It is most convenient to choose not a saucepan, but a wide basin with low sides or a cauldron. This way the jam can be gently stirred, and the liquid will evaporate faster and the jam will not be overcooked.

How to store blackberry jam

If the jam becomes moldy, mistakes were made during preservation.

• Perhaps it wasn't cooked enough. Bacteria multiply quickly in such jam. Readiness should be checked using the spreading method, as indicated in the photo recipe.
• Not enough sugar. Sugar acts as a preservative in jam. The exact amount of sugar is indicated in each recipe. There is a mandatory proportion: for 1 kg of berries there must be at least 1 kg of sugar.
• Cans for rolling must be cold. You cannot close them while they are hot, unlike canning compote.
• The jam is placed only in dry jars, and they must be sterilized in any convenient way (microwave, water bath, steam, etc.)

Is it possible to make jam from frozen blackberries?

If you can’t make jam for the whole winter, you can use frozen berries. How to make jam from frozen blackberries for the winter?

The ratio of frozen berries to sugar is the same as for fresh: 1:1. Frozen blackberries are lightly washed, sugar and a little water are added to avoid burning before the berry releases its juice. You need to cook the sweetness for 10-12 minutes. Then transfer the finished jam into jars.

If you are using frozen blackberries rather than store-bought ones, when freezing, place them in small portions in bags. You can add strawberries to each bag.

Why did the blackberry jam turn out runny?

The thickness of the jam is affected by the amount of precipitation. If the berries were picked in the rain, and the summer in general turned out to be rainy, then the blackberries will be watery and heavy, and you will get a lot of syrup. Some of it can be drained and cooked into compote. Liquid jam does not form foam.

To make the jam thick, you need to cook it longer. However, long-term cooking is not suitable for preserving vitamins and nutrients. What to do in this case?

1. You can increase the amount of sugar: take 1.2-1.5 kg of sugar for 1 kg of berries.
2. Dilute separately and add gelatin and pectin to the syrup.
3. You can add fruits and berries containing pectin to the jam - grate apples, add zest, red currant or gooseberry puree.
4. You can also change the technology: cook 3 times for 15 minutes. Take a long break between them, 6-8 hours or overnight.
5. After the berries are washed, you need to lay them out on a dish or just on the table and let them dry completely. Only then add sugar to them.
6. Add a few drops of lemon juice while cooking.
7. To make the liquid evaporate faster, it is better to cook the jam in a wide basin or wide saucepan.

Do I need to wash blackberries before making jam?

Before cooking, the berries need to be sorted and cleaned of adhered leaves and stalks. They are then quickly rinsed under running water to remove any dust. The water must be allowed to drain.

You can put the blackberries in a wide bowl and gently lift and lower the berries without letting the juice leak out.

You can also use a colander, where the berries are placed, and then dipped in water and taken out several times.

How to thicken blackberry jam if you plan to use it as a filling for baked goods?

If the blackberry jam turns out runny, you can thicken it for use in baking. To do this, add semolina (1 tsp per glass of jam) and mix. After 15 minutes, put the pan with jam on the fire and cook for several minutes.

What spices can be added to blackberry jam?

Now you know everything about blackberry jam, so I suggest making delicious blackberry jam, recipes with step-by-step photos are presented above