Blackberry Jam Ii

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 4 cups crushed crushed fresh ripe, blackberries (8-9 pint baskets)
• 7 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1 (3 ounce) package liquid pectin

Recipe

• 1 in an 8-quart pan, combine the blackberries, sugar, and butter.
• 2 over med-low heat, stirring constantly, heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• 3 increase heat to med-high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil; stirring constantly.
• 4 stir in all the pectin; return mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
• 5 boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• 6 remove pan from heat; skim off any foam.
• 7 to prevent the jam from separating in the jars, allow the jam to cool 5 minutes before filling jars.
• 8 gently stir the jam every minute or so to distribute the fruit.
• 9 ladle the hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.
• 10 wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth.
• 11 cover with hot lids and apply screw rings.
• 12 process half-pint jars in a 200° water bath for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes.
• 13 tip: after cooking blackberry jam, the center cores of the berries, to which the individual seeds were attached, will rise to the surface of the jam; as you stir the jam during the 5 minute standing period before ladling it into the jars, you may skim off as many of these cores as you can find—purely optional, but recommended if entering this jam in a competition.
• 14 tip: you may use frozen blackberries—you will need 2 to 3 (16 oz.) bags; do not rinse frozen berries before defrosting, and be sure to add all of the released juice to the pan, or the jam will be too thick.
• 15 tip: to reduce the quantity of seeds in the jam, sieve about ¼ of the berry pulp before measuring.