Easy Blackberry Jam

What better a way to capture the joy and sweetness of summer than by making a jar of blackberry jam? There is something so comforting and luxurious about being able to have this rich deep crimson preserve on a cold winters day, smothered onto a slice of toast or stirred into rice pudding.

Despite the rain, I had a lovely walk and saw lots of other fruit ripening. Hopefully I'll be able to use some of them too later this month!

 Betty was having a great time jumping over long grass and chasing Ruby but she did NOT like the rain and once she got wet she refused to walk home so I had to carry her.

 The recipe I use is so unbelievably simple its hard to go wrong:

*1 Kg blackberries

*1 Kg jam sugar

*The juice of one lemon

First, I washed the blackberries and put them on the hob for about half an hour on a low heat, stirring occasionally.  Because I don't like to have too many lumps in my jelly, I blended the mixture at this point, and I often sieve the mixture to remove the pips, but I decided not to this year.

I then added the lemon juice and the jam sugar and once dissolved, boiled the mixture until the setting point was achieved. The way to do this is by dripping a small amount onto a refrigerated plate,  waiting for a few seconds (I usually blow on it) and then pushing it with your finger. If it wrinkles then it is ready to take off the heat and leave to cool for 15 minutes.

I poured this liquid into freshly sterilised jars and left to cool, much to the frustration of my little brother Ned who want to eat it strait away! I know from my own experience it is never a good idea to stick your finger in a freshly boiled batch of jam...

 Safely back in her bed, Betty is back to her normal bitey self after her rainy ordeal. Look at that tummy!