GRANDMOTHER’S RECIPES : BLACKBERRY HONEY JAM – NO WHITE SUGAR

Blackberry Honey Jam – A taste of pure summer! As many of you might recall, a few weeks back we did a recipe post on Strawberry Honey Jam which was made from just 4 natural ingredients (strawberries, apples, honey, and lemon juice).

We received a tremendous amount of comments from those who have made the jelly and loved the flavor, and more from others wanting to know if it could be made with other fruits.  It definitely is a touch thinner than traditional jam made using white sugar and boxed pectin. However, you can’t beat the thought knowing it isn’t loaded with all that sugar.

Ever since we began using that jelly in our house, I have been asked by several family members to try it with blackberries.  Home made blackberry jam has always been a favorite of Jim’s, and we couldn’t resist trying the recipe with a different fruit.

This recipe will make 4 pints of all natural blackberry jam.

We made a few tweaks to the original recipe to see if we could get the jam a little thicker this time.  By using two large Granny Smith apples, we were able to increase the amount of natural pectin found in the skins of the apples, which made this recipe thicker than the original.  Below is the recipe that I used which made 4 pints plus a few spoonfuls extra.

Ingredients:

3 lbs fresh blackberries

1 3/4 cups of honey

2 large Granny Smith apples

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Wash the blackberries and place in a large stock pot.

2. Slice the apple into quarters, removing the core.  Grate the apples, leaving the skin attached. Add to pot.

3. Add honey and lemon juice

4. Heat on high until the mixture begins to boil, reduce and simmer 15 minutes.

5. Use a potato masher or an immersion blender to smash your blackberries until you reach a smooth consistency free of chunks.

6. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for an additional 15-45 minutes.  You can judge this by the consistency desired.  Reminder – it will thicken when it cools.

2 Large Granny Smith Apples are the thickening agent for this recipe

7.  Place in freezer safe containers, or can using the water bath process for 10 minutes.  It will stay good in the freezer for 6 months, and canned for 12 months.

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Side notes:

Typically you do not want to boil honey as it causes enzymes to break down and lose some of the nutrients desired when using honey. However, in this recipe, we are using the honey as a sweetener in place of white sugar and did not want the strong flavor of our local honey to overpower the blackberry flavor.

When picking out your apples – try to find the under ripe apples.  They hold the most pectin. Definitely do not use over ripened apples in this recipe.

Enjoy!