I have a love-hate relationship with wild Himalayan blackberries. I love their luscious dark tender berries, but I hate their thorny invasive brambles taking over my yard. This morning my kids and their best friend made it their mission to pick as many plump juicy blackberries they could in our back yard. After eating handful after handful, they brought in just over two cups of berries.
When I asked what they wanted to make with them, they both said blackberry jam. So blackberry jam it is. This recipe uses no pectin and unless properly preserved, should be eaten within a week. Raspberries can easily be substituted for blackberries and the recipe itself is very easy. Just remember the number 2. I hope you enjoy the harvest of this late summer season.
*To make seedless jam, strain the berries in a medium mesh sieve before cooking.
- Blackberry or Raspberry Jam without Pectin
- 2 cups crushed blackberries or raspberries (I crush mine by putting all the berries inside a cup/bowl and smooshing them with a spoon)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- In a small pan cook blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice on high heat for 5 minutes and reduce to medium heat and cook an additional 15 minutes. Skim the foam off and store in a heat-proof container. The jam will thicken as it cools.
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Alice,
Thank you. I was getting a little worried. I love anything that has to do with cooking, I cook all the time, any chance I get to go to the grocery store; I’m there, learn new things about cooking; I’ll try it, and my worst nightmare is having bugs on, near, or around my food. (I think I’m just a sanitary nut, it’s been drilled into my head since I was too young too even reach the kitchen table. We would sit on phone books to roll dough with my parents for Sunday Sauce, and some regular meals). We enjoyed every minute of the time spent with them in the kitchen, and the learning was beyond great, but keeping things clean and making sure no bugs would ever be present was important. I think I’ve just adopted that frame of mind and intensified it through the years of cooking. So, thank you again, and I will make sure I inspect my berries very closely as usual.
Soak your blackberrys in water for a hour or so ,any bugs should float to the top and you can scoop them out.I also freeze my blackberrys to use all year round, that should kill anything nasty.
Great recipe! Have just used up the last of last summers blackberries to make a crumble and a jar of jam. Thanks Alice.
How many jars of jam does this recipe make?
This looks delicious! But what do you mean by a “heat proof container”? Would an old jar from applesauce work?
Can you freeze blackberry jam for a short period of time. I have a lot & I know we couldn’t eat it in a short time
its impossible to freez jam
Any jam will freeze beautifully–blackberry, strawberry, apricot, raspberry, plum, etc. Best to freeze in straight-sided plastic or glass container and to fill it to half an inch from the top to account for expansion. I’ve done this for many years and can vouch for it.
silly. course u can.
I tried to make this last night. Did exactly what it said and once it cooled the jam turned SO hard. what did i do wrong?
simple.. you cooked it too long.. think about it the way you would candy/caramel… the longer u cook the sugar… the harder the candy.. (softball stage vs hardball stage).. its like… if u cook caramel too long u dont get nice soft carmel.. u get carmel flavored hard candy… (which we found out my family likes even better than soft carmels.. lol)
to avoid this happening.. when making this type of jam… be sure u only cook on high for up to 5 min… then reduce to medium-low for the remaining 15 min… it took me a couple tries to get it the right consistancy
A rule of thumb in cooking jams is to cook until they are short of the consistency you want to end up with, as they will get thicker as they cool. If 15 minutes of cooking results in too hard a jam, try 10 instead.
Last evening I made the blackberry jam using my frozen blackberries. I followed the recipe to the letter, even setting the timer for the 5 and then 15 minutes. The jam tasted great when I poured it into the jar. This morning it is impossible to spread, it is so hard. I will try this recipe another time, but use the cooking jam instructions from “Joy of Cooking” to get it at the right setting point.
The amount of natural pectin in the berries will vary so a prescribed time was not the best idea as I found out.
I will try it again as I like the small amount it makes at a time.
Just finished picking berries and making this jam with my 3 year old son. He LOVED helping and loved EATING it even more later!!! This is a great recipe, especially for first time jammers
Did a quick search AFTER attempting to guess how to make jam LOL! My 3 year old and I just discovered balckberries growing in the mess of a backyard we adopted when we moved in with roommates in Charlotte! WOW we were surprised and excited at what our mid-morning adventure brought!
So after the discovery decided “If you give a moose a muffin” was in order and an attempt at jam making- will be sure to try the recipe after our jam is sure to fail! We added water- not enough sugar and boiled… then threw the whole thing in the fridge in hopes of it setting!
Good eating and living!
Chrisitna and little Zeru
Christina,
I love that book. I think it’s great you decided to go for it!
Yummy! Better than jam I could buy anywhere!
I just made you jam and put it in a glass pyrex container with a plastic lid. Should I put it directly in the fridge or let it cool a little on the counter? Thanks.
I just ordered a flat of blackberries to make jam this weekend and am excited to try your recipe. Did you end up with a runny set for the jam or were you able to get a thick consistency without pectin?
Hi,
I just made the blackberry jam and it was so easy! Thank you! I made 3 jars tho, and won’t with the best will in the world, eat it all in a week! I have put it on sterilised jam jars. Will it keep longer in the fridge?
Thanks
Thank You! Thank You! You gave me the courage to make jam without pectin. This was the first recipe I tried – it was delicious. I’ve gone on to make blueberry, strawberry jam as well, all without pectin. And this is the first time I’ve ever made jam. Your recipe is so easy that it made it feel accessible to me. I love that you give a time limit and temp., rather than the typical freezer test, which I found intimidating.
what if u dont have lemon juice
Hi Aaron,
You can omit the lemon juice. The lemon juice just brightens and rounds out the flavor but isn’t a necessary ingredient.
i am allergic to lemon… and have never added lemon.. and this is exactly how i make jam without pectin… equal amounts of berries and sugar… and nothing else.. and it always works out great
Just wanted to let you know I tried your recipe and loved it!
I blogged about it and linked back to you: http://bananaleg.tumblr.com/post/9442810057/we-have-blackberry-bushes-surrounding-our-house
Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it! Great post!
This was my first time ever making jam tonight and wow it taste soo good, thank you soo much for sharing your recipe it is great I’m going to share it with all my friends.
to preserve this jam – how long should i put them in the water bath?
Hi Rachelle,
I just made jam with pectin and it was 10 min in a hot bath.
I would think this recipe would be the same.
Also. I am gonna try this right now with Red Raspberries and peaches hope it comes out!
I picked blackberries with my kids today (we do it every year) I usually make an apple and blackberry crumble but I bumped into another lady picking them who said she was making jam… what a good idea… once washes thoroughly I looked on the internet for recipes – what the heck is pectin?? what does it do?? oh, a recipe without, I can do that one…
I did it exactly as you said and it came out PERFECT, I did have to keep lifting it off the heat as it rises in the pan quite a bit, guess that’s how you know it’s nearly done
)
Do you have a recipe for pears… got a load of fruit on my tree for the first time ever and I don’t know what to do with them… I’m no cook LOL
I made this jam with blackberries the other day and it turned out wonderful. I did the cooking time differently as per another cookbook’s advice. Simmered the fruit, sugar and lemon juice until sugar was dissolved, then boiled until it reached jelling point, 20 – 30 minutes. Checked to see if it was ready by putting some jam on a cold plate in the fridge for a couple minutes… if it wrinkled when pushed it was done. It was still kind of runny when filling the jars, but as it sat it thickened more. I’m doing raspberry jam today. Thanks for a great easy recipe, without pectin!
Well I’m a Dad of 3, my wife is away for the weekend, so I decide to pick blackberries as an activity for the kids. Then I decide- hey! Lets make jam. Of course I have no pectin which brought me to this recipe. Now here’s a few things I did that seemed logical in my male mind! First I halved the sugar (could hear my wife’s voice in the back of my head!) Then instead of smushing the blackberries I used my magic bullet to mush it for me….ding ding ding winning idea! Now I can hear my kids voices in the back of my head…..we don’t like the seeds! So I poured the mush from the magic bullet, through a strainer and into the pot! Let me say this one thing, my jams a thing of beauty, and I’m my kids hero!
This is a great recipe and super easy!!! My 5 & 3 year old made this with me using fresh blackberries we picked, they had a great time mashing. I too halved the sugar and it was still very sweet. We will be making this again and again!!!
Hand picked blackberries turned into your jam recipe and put into an air tight jar…….. how long will the jam be ok to eat ?
Hi Tracy,
It should be good for a few weeks.
I cannot believe it, I now am the proud owner of 2 jars of raspberry jam..so easy..I have never done this before..it is so good to achieve..I will do lots for friends for christmas..YAHOO..if I told you my age it would be embarrasing..fancy never being able to make jam….
I made this jam and it is very good – I cut the sugar back also – after putting it in steralized jars I turned them upside down for 5 minutes – then turned them right side up and covered them with a towel until they cooled.
I have pears that were picked from a tree in our yard they are very hard – what can I do other than pear butter
Hi Carolyn,
Why not wait until they ripen on the counter? Also, you can also make pear chutney or relish to serve on top of cheese or meats.
I just got done picking 2 gallons today. This weekend we are going to try this recipe and making some cobbler also. First time for both, wish me luck
This was an excellent recipe! I highly recommend this for all berries. It was simple and basically a no fail recipe. I’m enjoying the jelly right now!
My mother made jams and jellies for 40 years and never put them in a water bath. She covered the jars with melted wax and they kept fine. Im 52 years old and have done the jellies and jams the same way. Love this recipe. Its the same for strawberry jam
Also, you can use vinegar instead of lemon juice. Its the same thing and is my mother’s strawberry recipe called for.
i <3 blackberries (but they are pretty sour) so im gonna try them thick and sugary with lemon juice. it turned out great!
i don’t have anything to put my blackberries in. should i try a bowl?
I made this last night and it came out wonderful! I too, have blackberry bushes in my yard and this is a great way to use them! It seemed to have come out a little sweeter than I thought but all I did was stir in an extra cup of berries and voila! perfect. Thanks for a great and simple recipe. I used to use my jam in struesal bars and they are amazing! Will use this recipe for a long time.
lol made this jam today for blackbery tarts except i messed up and put too much lemon juice in it, good except for the extra lemony flavor. i think it’ll be great with the right amount of lemon or no lemon next time i make jam!
Hmmmm….I don’t think it’s worth the effort to make jam without the pectin. After hours of picking, hours of cleaning….I think you might as well go the distance and make a nice clear jelly.
Lemon juice is typically used as a helper for the pectin. I have never heard of it helping the taste in any way. The ratio of lemon to blackberry is so small….I can’t see you being able to taste any difference.
Essentially, this is a ‘freezer-jam’ type recipe. Delicious, but the seeds are slightly annoying.
Thanks for the recipe and inspiring photos. I add a grated apple or 2 to my jam for its natural pectin and it seems to let me get away with using a little less sugar. The jam gels up nicely. Here is my version in case you’d like to have a peek.
i found this so interesting..
i learn a lot!!!!
thanks for the informations..:)
I just made this this morning…AH-MAY-ZING!!! I rarely comment on recipes i try but i had to with this!! I love to jam but I’m so not in the mood to process anything in this heat! Lately I’ve been making fridge pickles like crazy (22 jars!!!) but I saw some raspberries at the farmer’s market and I couldn’t resist some jam to keep a taste of summer around in the COLD Minnesota winter months to come!
I made this exactly as written and it was easy and gelled up perfectly. Eating some on an English muffin with cream cheese as we speak!
I don’t like to use a lot of sugar in my recipes. Would it affect it if I used less sugar?
This is a terrific easy recipe, the lemon juice makes no difference. Personal choice.
If you use hot sterilized glass jars with metal lids & fill them when the jam is still piping hot & lid them immediately it lasts for 12 months
If you want to get rid of the scum at the end of cooking jam ( tried it with raspberry and black berry so far )try adding a spoonful of butter just before you take it off the stove. Stir it in and the scum just disappears. I don’t know why it works and have only tried it with real butter , never with margerine but i suspect it would probably work for that too.
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