A good blackberry jam can sweeten your day.
Fruity and luscious, nature’s gift. To make this natural blackberry jam recipe at home from scratch with fresh hand-picked fruits and without pectin is quite easy and so very delicious. Preserve the season’s goodness in a jar!
Learn how to make blackberry jam from scratch with the step by step recipe further below.
What blackberries to use for blackberry jam without pectin?
Blackberries mostly turn from small green fruits to full blackberry fruits during August. If the blackberry vine plant grows in the sun, the fruits turn out to be sweeter. Therefore, the weather determines the quality of the fruits.
Hence, if it rains cat’s and dog’s, and if in between the monkey’s have a few weddings (It’s a saying in India when it rains and the sun shines at the same time), the blackberries will turn out more sour. That’s a fact.
Ironically for making blackberry jam without pectin, we require sour fruits, as tartness is an indication for higher levels of natural pectin, and pectin helps in preserving jams longer without them getting spoiled and moldy.
That means, if your berries are way too sour, you can think of making a blackberry jam, so to put them to use properly, and in a delicious way of course!
For that, you would need fresh blackberries, which are quite commonly growing right in the northern hemisphere.
In fact, blackberries have a tendency to grow wild next to the road. That means blackberry vines do enjoy pathways which are well lit and spacious.
The Blackberries need to be deep black in color and the best way to test if they make the cut already is to taste one. If it’s reddish, way too sour and hard, then just wait 2-3 more days for the blackberries to ripen little more.
How to make Blackberry Jam without pectin?
So, to make the jam you keep the fruits in the jam cooking pot and add the sugar, then you keep it on low heat to cook.
You watch the jam and test after cooking to see if its ready and voilà, you have a homemade jam! That easy it is to make a blackberry jam without pectin.
You just need to make sure that you use the correct tools to assist you with your jam (see below for suggestions), that you work in a clean environment and with sterilized jars and that you test your blackberry preserves before filling it into the jars.
The blackberry jam setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.
I don’t add artificial pectin as I don’t like the flavor and I have always enjoyed naturally made jam at home. The regular sugar helps in preserving the jam very well.
Why is my blackberry jam runny?
There are a few reasons why your blackberry jam can turn out runny.
- Your fruits are not sour enough. Store bought hybrid blackberry varieties tend to be sweeter. Wild and homegrown blackberry varieties are sourer. Quick fix: Add 2-3 organic lemons with the rind and lemon juice, that will help in adding natural pectin without much effort.
- You tried to double the batch. It’s easier to work with a batch of 1-kilogram fruits. Trying to jam more than a kilogram at a time can complicate things.
- You reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe because you thought it contained way too much sugar. Don’t ever reduce the sugar in a jam recipe, especially when it’s without pectin. The sugar is key to jam and helps in the jelling and storing so that the jam doesn’t turn bad.
- You didn’t give your jam a rolling boil or you didn’t cook your jam long or high enough. In that case, use a thermometer.
- You used a pot that wasn’t giving uniform heating. Some jam got cooked less some more, that shouldn’t happen. That is why you might want to use a pan like the French copper pans. Can’t go wrong with that one (see suggestion in the tools below)
Make sure to stir frequently too!
Keep in mind this is a recipe without artificial pectin added. It’s a traditional French recipe. Artificial pectin is not added to French jams. That is why it’s so important that you don’t change the amount of sugar added!
Why is my blackberry jam hard?
You must have overcooked it or the heat was too high. Use a thermometer to know when the jam is good and test on a cold plate or spoon to check if it’s ready. If it runs it needs some more cooking.
If you are afraid to try making a blackberry preserves without pectin, then please go ahead and pick a recipe with pectin instead.
We have never cooked a jam at home with pectin, so I can’t help you with that. In fact, my french mum sells her jams in the local farmers market in Austria.
Useful tools that you can need to make this Blackberry jam without pectin:
So, before you start making the jam, make sure that you have some equipment ready such as…
- a big cooking pot (preferable copper as it transmits the heat better)
- a wooden cooking spoon with a long handle
- keep a plate in the freezer. that’s for testing if the jam is ready to be canned.
- clean sterilized jam jars with clean fitting lids
- a small amount of rum
- funnel
- tongs to lift the hot sterilized jars
- labels for your pretty jam jars, because after all you can make a batch and gift some to your family and friends.
That’s a very basic jam making equipment and here some suggestions…
Blackberry Jam Recipe below:
- 1000 grams fresh Blackberry fruits or 35.2 oz
- 750 grams regular crystal sugar or 26.5 oz
- A few drops of Rum to disinfect
- about 3-4 Jam jars and lids (300-350 milliliter)
- labels
- Wash your blackberries and pick out any impurities. Natural blackberries usually don't have insects and worms in them (compared to raspberries) so the washing should be quick. Weigh the berries and place them into a big cooking pot.
- Add the whole sugar amount to the berries. Mix the content well.
- Keep the pot with the fruits on the stove, cook on slow heat for about 45 mins, while stirring at times, until you can see a rolling boil. At that point, the jam should be ready and you can take it from the heat. Test if the jam is set by dropping some on a cold plate, the jam is ready if it doesn't run. If it runs, keep for some more time to cook on low heat and repeat the test until you have the correct consistency. Setting temperature with the help of a thermometer is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.
- At this point you can either mash the cooked blackberries quickly or keep them in whole pieces. If you mash them, and you don't like the seeds, you have the option too to strain the jam. I did not strain since we enjoy the seeds in the jam.
- Before you fill the jars with the jam, drop little rum on into the lid. That will help in keeping the jam germ and mold growth free.
- Fill your clean jam jars with the blackberry jam, close well with the lid and turn the jar upside down. Keep them upside down for a few hours and then store them in a dry and cool place and keep away from direct sunlight. If you live in a humid tropical climate, please store the jam in the fridge.
2. calculated 4 jars with 30 servings each. 1 serving = approx 1 Tablespoon
How to use the blackberry jam?
You can add a spoonful of blackberry jam to your plain yogurt as a dessert or spread some on your morning breakfast bread to start the day well.
Also, try adding some blackberry preserves to baked goods or as a filling to stuffed doughnuts for example.
More Preserves like the blackberry jam:
Dear Reader, do you like to pick berries in the summer?
The post blackberry jam was published for the first time at maslaherb.com on September 17th 2014 and has been enhanced and updated ever since.
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that looks delicious. So pretty and I cant believe it doesn’t have pectin in it!
I would love to say I used all my senses but sometimes it’s just smell and taste. I should think about it more. Outstanding blackberry jam.
That is one of my favorite jams! Lovely.
Cheers,
Rosa
This jam – wow – I could eat the whole jar!!!
I -too- use all my sense and much rather have food that tastes delish and is nutritionally dense.
Helene, your jam looks outstanding… so delicious! I eat with all my senses!
Taste, aroma and textures – all these elements of food are important to me.
The jam looks amazing and the rum ‘trick’ is very handy indeed.
The jam looks too tempting. Just can’t believe that it is made without pectin!!
Good to know this requires no pectin! Don’t like the stuff at all. It looks divine!
What gorgeous black jam, I would be spooning 😛
Who needs toast right?
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Blackberries grow like crazy here in the Pacific Northwest – they are everywhere, so we pick them and freeze them (and make jam!). Unfortunately, they’re an invasive species – not native to the area, and they pretty much take over when they start growing. Much as I like the berries (and jam!), they’re a real problem. (One example is when they move into streams, they kill the plants that create the shade that allow salmon to spawn).
Your jam looks lovely! Pectin is not needed for jam!
I’m right there with you Helene on the GMO issue. I was at a conference last week and heard that a group of researchers are trying to develop a chile where all the fruit on the plants are the same shape and size so they can be picked by machine, not people. There are SO many things wrong with this! There is something so real and natural making jam this way and the results are better than anything you could buy at the store. What a beautiful jar of jam!
Do you have a conversion chart for measuring. I’m from the Mid-US and we use cup, tablespoon, tsp, etc. I usually have loads of berries. I love to cook.
Hi Linda,
For the blackberry jam you can use 4 1/8 cups fresh Blackberry and 3 3/4 cups sugar. I will be adding US measurement to my posts soon, so it will be easier to follow the recipe for you.
This was perfect blackberry preserves. I appreciate the weights. I switched my scale from ounces to grams, and voila! Your many tips, especially to use less ripe fruit for natural pectin worked beautifully. Mine took a long, long time to reach 220F, and after 1 hour of cooking my preserves wouldn’t rise in temperature beyond 214F. I increased the heat from low to medium, and then it was done in less than 4 mnutes. Many thanks!
Happy to read that it worked out well. =)
With the time and temperature it can depend also on the stove you use and the pot.
In that case, the way you handle it was the way to go. A thermometer can be super useful.
Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, much appreciated!
Is there a substitute for using rum? I don’t have any.
You can use any similar alcohol, vodka, whiskey, brandy, schnapps.
how long does it keep, and can it be frozen?
The Blackberry Jam is good for a year if you keep it unopened in a cool and dry place (by having sterilized the jars and added alcohol into the cap to kill germs etc). once you open it, store in the fridge and usually it will be still ok too after 10 months, but the jam might get dry-ish. Freezing jam is not necessary because it’s a traditional recipe and the sugar amount in the recipe preserve the jam without a need for freezing.
I loved making this jam so so easy I love blackberries can not get enough of them .thank you for this cooking tip.
Thank you for your feedback. It’s great to know that you enjoy the blackberry jam as much as I do.
Helene, merci pour la recette! I just tried it and unfortunately it’s too runny. Maybe it didn’t reach the proper temperature…i didnt have a thermometer to help 🙁
Question: is it ok to throw it back in the cooking pot and cook it for a little longer?
Hi Bianca!
I’m sorry to read that your jam turned out runny. Yes please, take it back to the heat and try to use a thermometer or do the cold plate/spoon test with the hot jam. so that you know when it’ s set. Also, wash the jars again and sterilize well before filling up your jam again. Be careful to not overcook the jam accidentally (that can happen when you undercooked it first out of fear). It’s always easier to fix a runny jam. All the best and let us know how your jam turned out at the end. 🙂
Thank you Helene for the recipe and for saving my 1st runny jam with your advice!
The fisr time I cooked it I didnt have a thermometer and I’m sure I had not reached the proper temperature: it yielded 3 jars of blackberry juice (really). Helene said it was ok to throw it back in the pot and watch the temperature carefully this time & wash/sterilize the jars again to be safe. I did jist that and oh boy! It worked out perfectly and this time I got about 2 and 1/4 jars.
I’ll be using it again for sure!
Bianca, I’m glad it worked out after all! =D I know at the beginning I used to always make my jam without a thermometer but once I messed it up and since then I use always a thermometer. Thank you Bianca, for taking the time to share your experience. Much appreciated and I hope your experience and knowledge will be useful to others in the same situation.