Spiced Blackberry Jam

During the 5 hours I spent stemming the elderberries tonight Matt was able to finish the rest of the rose hip jelly (1 more batch) and turn our 4 cups of blackberries into some spiced jam.

RECIPE FOR SPICED BLACKBERRY JAM:

• 8 cups of blackberries
• 1 star anise
• 3 cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• juice of 2 lemons
• 3 cups warmed white sugar

1. Create a spice ball with the star anise, cloves and cinnamon
2. Place the blackberries and the spice ball in a sauce pan with 2 tablespoons of water or just enough to prevent fruit from sticking to the bottom
3. Cook until tender and juicy ~ mashing the fruit with the back of a spoon
4. Remove spice ball and press the berries through a food mill
5. Add lemon juice to the blackberries and place them in a preserving pan; heat through, stirring often.
6. Add warmed sugar stirring until dissolved
7. Turn up the heat and boil rapidly until the jam has reached the setting point
8. Pour hot jam into sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace and add sterilized snaps and rings
9. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
10. Remove lid and let stand in hot water bath for 5 minutes before removing

Put Up Total:

• 2 x 250 wide mouth jars