Who doesn’t like blackberries, am I right? Ok, maybe some people don’t, and that’s ok. However, for those of us who LOVE blackberries, here is a recipe to make the most delicious blackberry jam!

First things first, we need to forage for the blackberries. They are usually very easy to spot, around August and September… many times, the brambles themselves will tell you “hiii!” by surprise while grabbing you with their thorns 😄 Brambles and their berries are usually very easy to spot and identify, but in case you don’t feel completely confident, check out this wonderful page that shares what blackberries look like. The particular bramble species I foraged from was most likely Rubus ulmifolius, the most common in Portugal.

When harvesting the blackberries, I usually only pick those that are totally black and that I can easily remove from the bramble. If the berry is resisting too much to being picked, I usually interpret that as a sign that the berry is not ready yet. And the truth is, when I do remove one of those and taste them, they are usually way too bitter to eat. So I feel this is a good rule of thumb to use when foraging for blackberries. However, don’t worry if you have picked a few bitter berries for your jam. They are usually higher in pectin and will help the jam to reach gel stage, though we want as many ripe berries as possible for better taste.

I wanted this jam to be added sugar and pectin free, so instead I used raw honey to sweeten it and the natural pectin of blackberries to achieve the gel stage. The result was amazing!

Watch the full video:

Blackberry Jam Recipe

This recipe was inspired and adapted from Practical Self Reliance’s blackberry jam recipe.

Ingredients

• 5 cups of blackberries
• 2/3 cup of raw honey
• 2 tbsp of fresh orange juice

Recipe

• Measure how many blackberries you have harvested with your cup. If more than 5 cups, adjust this recipe to match what you need. Make sure to not go over 20 cups for one batch though, otherwise it might be too difficult to reach gel stage;
• Place the berries in a pot with a few centimetres of head space to allow for some foaming;
• Add the raw honey and the orange juice;
• Mix everything well and start mashing the blackberries with your wooden spoon to release some of the juices;
• In low heat, simmer the berries and keep the foam down by mixing regularly;

• Eventually you will notice that it is reaching gel stage as there’s less water in the pot and the mixture has thicken. I usually can tell when it is ready, however, just recently found out about a cool trick to help me be sure. Basically you put a bit of hot jam on a plate and place it in the freezer for about 5 minutes (or until the base of the plate doesn’t feel warm anymore). Then, remove the plate out of the freezer and turn it vertically. If the jam moves very slowly or doesn’t move at all, then the jam has reached gel stage!

• Make sure to sterilize your glass containers and lids with hot water;
• Put the jam into the containers with a sterilized spoon, close them with the lid and let them sit until they are not warm anymore;
• Keep them in the fridge to conserve them. Alternatively, you can also process them in a water bath canner for 5 minutes.

And there you go! Isn’t this jam so delicious and gorgeous looking?

I truly hope you enjoy this recipe! Oh, and please, if you try it out, do let me know how it went in the comment section bellow

If you have enjoyed this recipe, make sure to also check out How to make White Crowberries’ Jelly! Thank you for reading ♥️