Growing up on a farm we made a lot of jellies, jams and preserves with our fruit. We had apple, blackberry, grape, strawberry, cherry and whatever other kind of fruit my mom happened to stumble upon. She didn’t believe in making small batches either; her motto was “go big or go home.” We (seriously!) canned at least 200 jars a year. To this day I remember the luscious smell of cooking jam, filling the house with fruity aroma. I still enjoy canning my own jam and jelly as long as I a) do it in small batches, and b) don’t have to spend all day in preparation time. This year, Ball Canning sent me their FreshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker and their new for 2015Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. I had a patch of ripe blackberries waiting to be picked in my back yard and was ready to get started. This Black and Blueberry Jam recipe is the result of my labors.
Not only does this jam taste sooooooo good, it takes only four ingredients and 30 minutes to make! I had two cups of fresh blackberries and a pint of blueberries I had purchased for 99 cents. Along with some sugar and some lemon juice, I had all my ingredients and was ready to can.
I have to admit, I am in love with the FreshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker. (Why couldn’t this have been around when I was growing up???) It produces small batches of jam or jelly and does all of the stirring itself! It even prompted me on when to add the sugar. We did have a minor glitch; the screw that assembles the lid was wedged in tightly into the lid and was hard to remove, but otherwise than that, we were making jam in minutes.
To make the jelly, lightly mash the blackberries. Add the blackberries, blueberries and lemon juice to the Ball FreshTech. Set on jelly setting and add five minutes. When prompted, by the beep, add sugar. That’s it! When it is finished mixing, allow to sit 10 minutes to thicken. I decided to ladle my jelly into jars and not finish the canning process, but just store it in the fridge.
If you don’t have a FreshTECH Jam & Jelly maker, you can still make the jelly. Just put the mashed blackberries, blueberries and lemon juice into a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Add sugar and stir until blended. Boil until it reaches the thickness you like, stirring often. (Approximately 30 to 35 minutes.) Ladle into jars. My recipe made 3 (8 ounce) jars and one (4 ounce) jar.
- 2 cups blackberries, washed and lightly mashed
- 2 cups blueberries, stems removed and washed
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- Mix blackberries, blueberries and lemon juice together in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Cook until desired thickness is reached, stirring often. (Will probably take 30 to 35 minutes.) Ladle into jars and store in the fridge or finish canning process.
Do you have a favorite jam or jelly recipe?
Wow. 4 ingredients. How easy is that. I love blackberries and blueberries and I think my daughter would love this.
My kids loves berries & my goodness, this jam looks so delicious and awesome. It looks like an easy to make recipe & very much healthy as well. Would love to try this for sure. Thanks a lot for this yummy recipe.
Ohh I love fresh jam 🙂 I have never thought about using blackberries. Im gonna have to try this.
This is such a neat idea for jam! I will have to try to make it up for the kids to enjoy on their toast!
My Dad used to make his own jam and it was always so delicious. I will have to give this recipe a try.
This jam looks delicious! Right now is the perfect time to buy berries at my store to make this. I like that the recipe doesn’t need pectin.
My daughter love jam! I bet this makes a killer piece of toast!
I love jams and this looks so delicious. I love that it’s so easy to do. I can’t wait to try it.
This looks so easy to make i have to try it. I love trying new recipes. It will be delicious on fresh biscuits.
My kids are going to love this recipe. I am going to make some and surprise them. It will be great on ice cream.
I love homemade jams! They’re so delicious when they don’t have the preservatives!
I have never made my own jam before. This looks so easy to make. I will have to try this recipe.
This looks so delicious. I will definitely make some this weekend. I am sure it will be a big hit.
when i was a small child my granny used to make tons of jams. i used to love sitting in the kitchen while she prepared them.
Wow that looks so absolutely delicious, healthy and wholesome! You make it look so easy. I am giving it a try
That looks very good and sounds simple enough to make. I love all types of jams. I have never made it myself though. I’m very interested in trying out your recipe!
I’ve always loved how jams spread over breads and muffins. I love the texture of this jam from your photos, it must be delicious.
Black and blueberries are my favorite! I have been wanting to make my own jam.
I would love to learn how to make my own jam. I like this recipe And have to try it out.
I have been wanting to make my own as well! I will try it out!
That looks amazing. I have never made jam before. I bet this tastes amazing over a hot fresh piece of bread.
That does sound really nice. I’d try it on waffles too.
I bet these taste delicious. There’s nothing yummier than homemade!
That looks amazing. My mom used to always make jams. She grew up making them with her mom too, so I have always wanted to do it but never have. This is wonderful!
I think this just became my favorite. Seriously though, my grandma used to make a killer freezer jam with strawberries.
I am a big fan of homemade Jam! And i love how easy this recipe is! It would be perfect on top of our fresh pancakes this week!
My son loves jam on his peanut butter sandwiches. This looks so tasty!
Wow that jam looks really good. Having that Jam & Jelly Maker around must be awesome!
I’ve always thought of jam as daunting, but I think I could do this! Looks delish!!!
This looks way too good! I’d love to have some on raisin toast about now!
I’m a drooling over here. Drooling! I’ll have to make this. It looks simple enough, and I’ll be it would be fantastic over pretty much anything.
That is amazing! I can totally see this over ice cream or a nice piece of angel food or pound cake. Yum!
Oh my goodness, this sounds ridiculously easy, yet so so good! I should give this a try!