Old Fashioned Blackberry Jam For Canning
Make this classic old fashioned blackberry jam that’s quick and easy. It’s one of the best canning recipes for beginners because there are so few ingredients, and the results are just so good. And this recipe is a small batch. You’ll only need four half-pint jars, so it’s perfect if you’re new to canning or don’t want to make a big batch.
Everyone, at least once in their life, should go blackberry picking and come home and make jam with it. Kids will love it, and you’ll remember it forever.
But even though jam-making is easy, a day of canning is hard. Make sure you start in the morning, with a clean kitchen, and plan an easy dinner.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Of course, we want to use fresh blackberries when they are in season for the best flavor. BUT you can do this in winter with frozen berries. However, you must use bottled, not fresh, lemon juice for safety.
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Equipment
- Water Bath Canner
- 4-5 half-pint mason jars
- 4-5 rings
- 4-5 lids new
- large saucepan
- Small saucepan
- potato masher
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds fresh blackberries (about 6-7 cups) (you can also use frozen)
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon powdered pectin
- ¼ cup bottled lemon juice (it has to be bottled for the safe acid levels. Sorry, no fresh lemon juice.)
How to Make Old Fashioned Blackberry Jam
Step One: Mix The Fruit And Sugar
Place the blackberries and sugar into the saucepan and mix well. Let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes while you prepare your canning supplies.
Step Two: Prep Your Equipment
Fill the canner ¾ full of tap water and start to heat on the stovetop. Place the rings and lids in a small saucepan of water and bring to a simmer. Heat the clean mason jars in hot water in the canner, the dishwasher, or the oven set to 200℉.
Step Three: Mash The Fruit And Add The Remaining Ingredients
Mash the blackberries with a potato masher. Add the pectin and lemon juice and mix well.
Step Four: Boil The Jam And Skim The Foam
Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for five minutes. Stir it constantly so it doesn’t scorch. Remove any foam with a spoon or offset spatula when it is done.
Step Five: Put Jam In Jars
With a canning funnel, pour the finished jam into your hot, clean mason jars. Run a clean, hot butter knife around the inside to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims clean. Place the lids and rings on top and twist them fingertip tight.
Step Six: Process In Canner
Lower the jars into a boiling canner using the rack. Once the water has come back to a boil, start the timer. Do 10 minutes for half pints, and 15 minutes for full pints. When the time is up, carefully lift the rack and remove the jars with a jar remover. Place them on a clean dish towel and cool for 24 hours.
Storage Instructions
Heat can cause the homemade jam to spoil, so it’s important to store it in a cool, dark place like a pantry or cupboard.
Home-canned food will stay fresh for at least 1 year, and some newer lids will keep food fresh for 2 years. After that, it is typically still safe to eat, but it may lose flavor and quality.
What to Serve with Old Fashioned Blackberry Jam
- There’s nothing like biscuits and homemade jam.
- Or try homemade white bread, toasted.
- And I LOVE grilled cheese with fresh jalapeno and a thin layer of jam!
Questions and Troubleshooting
Yes! Absolutely. If you want to can in winter, try freezing all your fruit and putting it off for colder weather.
Yes. I do it all the time. If they’re very tart, add an additional half cup of sugar in step one. Or embrace the tartness!
No. We’re adding lemon juice for the acidity, not the flavor. Bottled lemon juice has stable acid levels, so that’s why we need to stick with bottled.
You undercooked it and it didn’t set. Properly set jam will coat a wooden spoon or form a solid blob on a cold plate. You can use it as ice cream topping, which is absolutely delicious.
Related Recipes
- Use this jam for the center of jam jam cookies.
- This recipe for canned strawberry lemonade is great for using up strawberries when you don’t want to make jam.
- If you still have blackberries, make this fresh summertime blackberry lemonade.
Printable Recipe
Old Fashioned Blackberry Jam
Equipment
- 4-5 half-pint mason jars
- 4-5 rings
- 4-5 lids new
- large saucepan
- Small saucepan
- potato masher
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds fresh blackberries (about 6-7 cups)
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon powdered pectin
- ¼ cup bottled lemon juice
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Instructions
- Mix the fruit and sugar. Place the blackberries and full amount of sugar into the saucepan and mix well. Let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes while you prepare for canning
- Prep your equipment. Fill the canner ¾ full of tap water and start to heat on the stovetop. Place the rings and lids in a small saucepan of water and bring to a simmer. Heat the clean mason jars in hot water in the canner, the dishwasher, or the oven set to 200℉.
- Mash the fruit and add the remaining ingredients. Using a potato masher, mash the fruit until no whole blackberries remain. Add the pectin and lemon juice and mix well.
- Boil the jam and skim the foam. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that can't be stirred down. Once you've reached this, let the jam boil for five minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't scorch. Once set, remove any foam with a spoon or offset spatula.
- Put jam in jars. Using a canning funnel, pour the finished jam into your hot, clean mason jars. Run a clean, hot butter knife around the inside to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims clean. Place the lids and rings on top and twist them fingertip tight.
- Process in canner. Using the rack, lower the jars into a canner that is at a full rolling boil. Once it has returned to a boil, start the timer. Half pints need 10 minutes and full pint jars need 15 minutes. When the time is up, carefully lift the rack and remove the jars using a jar remover. Place on a clean dish towel on the counter. The jars will seal within 24 hours.
Notes
By Katie Shaw
Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.
fantastic everyone here loves it made everything super easy! and came out great! thank you so much for this recipe we are printing it out and adding it to the recipe book
thanks Malinda! hope you enjoy the rest of your summer 🙂
the recipe doubles or tripples, however , it still says 6-7 cups of berries on all three portions.
hello kristina, yes it only doubles the pounds. the cups are jsut an estimated i have written at the end of the reciep so yo u’d need to do that math on those 🙂
Just made some,6-11-24. I have not tested finished batch. Only note I would make is I had 5 1/2 pints ready but lucky I processed a pint jar after filling all 5 and then the pint. Cook got a taste of the boiled jam.