Blackberry Jam, Take 2!

So, last week Chet and I went to Discovery Park and picked blackberries after church. It was, as usual, a pokey adventure but unfortunately it didn't yield as many blackberries as I had desired. Yet, determined to make something useful from them, I found that there was enough to make some jam. I had some pectin in my cupboard and, while I was on the phone with my friend, Debbie, I attempted to make jam using the recipe on the box. I usually have used the less sugar pectin and so hadn't done this recipe before... and so the combination of combining massive amounts of sugar, Karo syrup and fruit while talking on the phone with Debbie failed to yield actual jam. I think I put the ingredients in in the wrong order... and as a result I have some delicious blackberry syrup if anyone is interested!

Yummy blackberries all ready to be made into jam!

So, feeling somewhat annoyed, I vowed to make a good batch! Yesterday, while on call for work, I hung around our neighborhood picking blackberries. I actually went and got the less sugar pectin, which, not only has less sugar but seems to work better overall. Also, it doesn't disgust me as much to make as I don't have to put 4 cups of sugar plus a cup of Karo syrup in to make it work!

Sure enough, success! The blackberry jam is beautifully set up this morning, looking wonderfully tempting and begging me not to put it in the freezer. I have to say that for a weed out here, blackberries sure produce such beautiful dark rich jam... no to mention tasty as well!

Oh so pretty sitting in its containers all ready to be eaten!

Because I have gotten in the habit of taking pictures of food I have either picked from my garden (which I am really excited about) or gotten from nature for free, I have included a couple pictures of my SUCCESSFUL jam making operation.

~Brianne