Blackberry jam is probably one of my all time favorites, it brings back a flood of memories of picking blackberries with my grandfather as a child.  This is one of those recipes that I literally take from the farm to the jar.

This recipe yields 12 jelly jars (8 oz)

• 1 Gallon fresh berries – washed and mashed
• 8 cups of sugar – divided
• 2 T Lemon Juice
• 2 T Real Butter
• 12 sterile jars, rings and lids

Place the jars in the oven, heat to 200°.  Wash and mash the berries with a potato masher.  Measure berries.  An average gallon yields 8 cups of chopped berries; this is important.  For every cup of berries, you will need one cup of sugar.  Add berries and 1/2 of the sugar to a stock pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Increase temperature to high.

Once it’s at a rolling boil, boil for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring.  Add remaining sugar, lemon juice and butter.   Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.  Be sure to stir it enough that it doesn’t stick.  Skim off any excess pink foam.  Boil lids, fill hot jars with the hot jam and wipe the tops with a clean sterile cloth.  Place the lids, put the rings on and tighten.  Water bath for 10 minutes.

Water Bathing Instructions:  While cooking the berries, I start my canner of water on high.  Jelly jars require 1-2 inches of water over the jars.  If placed carefully you can get 12 jars in the canner.  Once the jars are ready and placed in there, I put a lid on the canner and bring it to a boil.  Once boiling, I boil for 10 minutes.  Remove jars, cover with a towel and cool over night.  Don’t be surprised if your jars start sealing as soon as you take them out of the canner.

I don’t use Pectin in my jam recipes for a reason.  Have you ever noticed that the recipes that call for Pectin or Sure-Jell call for more sugar than fruit?  Let that sink in a minute….