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Jam session
Jul. 24th, 2020 11:16 amStart with enough berries for four cups, mashed. (I had a full bucket, the center one, left over. Back to the fridge!) Rinse and drain, floating out flower petals, stamens, the occasional worm. Wash and dry about five pints of canning jars.
Put seven cups (!) of sugar and four cups mashed berries into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Throw in a pat of butter, in an ultimately futile attempt to reduce foaming. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Once you get a high rolling boil, stir in a packet of liquid pectin (I use Certo). Bring back to a boil, for one minute.
While you've been doing this, your helpful spouse has been getting out rings and lids, sterilizing the latter in a small saucepan with boiling water, also digging out the canning funnel and jar lifter from the bottom of the drawer where they've settled since last summer. Oh, and getting the ladle.
Skim off foam with a metal spoon, as much as possible. Stir the rest back in, nobody will know. Ladle jam into jars, leaving 1/4 inch space at top. Wipe rim with paper towel dipped in hot water, place lids on jars, tighten rings down finger tight. The recipe says it makes four pints; I reliably get four-and-a-half, with a tiny bit left over.
Wait for the water in the canner to boil--you started it first, right? On high?--then transfer jars to the canning rack. If there isn't quite enough water to cover the lids, pour the water from the lid pan in, maybe add some from the electric kettle. Cover, wait for it to boil again, and time ten minutes.
Evacuate the jars to a pan lined with a dish towel, and wait for the pings. Toast a slice of bread, butter it, and spread the skimmed foam--you wouldn't want to waste that, would you?--and share it with your spouse. Label and date the jars when cool, and store in the pantry.
Add sugar to the shopping list, and start looking for more blackberries to pick.
Put seven cups (!) of sugar and four cups mashed berries into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Throw in a pat of butter, in an ultimately futile attempt to reduce foaming. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Once you get a high rolling boil, stir in a packet of liquid pectin (I use Certo). Bring back to a boil, for one minute.
While you've been doing this, your helpful spouse has been getting out rings and lids, sterilizing the latter in a small saucepan with boiling water, also digging out the canning funnel and jar lifter from the bottom of the drawer where they've settled since last summer. Oh, and getting the ladle.
Skim off foam with a metal spoon, as much as possible. Stir the rest back in, nobody will know. Ladle jam into jars, leaving 1/4 inch space at top. Wipe rim with paper towel dipped in hot water, place lids on jars, tighten rings down finger tight. The recipe says it makes four pints; I reliably get four-and-a-half, with a tiny bit left over.Wait for the water in the canner to boil--you started it first, right? On high?--then transfer jars to the canning rack. If there isn't quite enough water to cover the lids, pour the water from the lid pan in, maybe add some from the electric kettle. Cover, wait for it to boil again, and time ten minutes.
Evacuate the jars to a pan lined with a dish towel, and wait for the pings. Toast a slice of bread, butter it, and spread the skimmed foam--you wouldn't want to waste that, would you?--and share it with your spouse. Label and date the jars when cool, and store in the pantry.
Add sugar to the shopping list, and start looking for more blackberries to pick.