How to Make Seedless Blackberry Jam (No Pectin)
Don’t be afraid of canning! A few simple steps will have you enjoying homemade fruit preserves, no pectin or special equipment needed.
I made jam!
Woot!
This was a first for me. I always thought the idea of canning and preserving seemed so complicated and scary, and I was too intimidated to make any attempt. Daunted!
Well, sometimes the most wonderful things have a way of just falling into your lap, and before you know it, you’re knee-deep in a water bath, sterilizing jars…
We enjoyed our last summer shore weekend this past, and it was so nice to relax, enjoy a little sun and cool breeze, and catch up with family for a few days. (And my older son lost his first tooth! Please excuse my hollering like a lunatic…)
My brother- and sister-in-law showed up with a mahoosive bucket of blackberries they had picked at a local farm. (Remember just a couple of weeks ago, I was griping about how expensive blackberries are in PA? What a stroke of luck!) Many of them went straight into our hungry mouths, but by the end of the weekend, there were still over two pounds remaining. My husband and I bounced a few ideas around for what I could do with them, but I soon realized there were just way too many to simply bake into a recipe.
And what better way to repay my dear in-laws for their blackberry generosity, than to offer them a jar or two of homemade preserves at our next holiday gathering?
There’s a lot of info on home canning out there on the interwebs, so I spent a solid morning just familiarizing myself with the process. I decided to go the non-pectin route. Just seemed a little more rustic to me. Plus, I didn’t feel like making a trip to the store. Truth.
I learned that you can be super specific about it, or you can be more relaxed, and add sugar/flavor enhancers by taste and feel. Contrary to my uber-perfectionist, Virgo (read: anal) tendencies, I decided to just go with the flow. Worrying about sterilization and sanitation is enough of a fuss for me, being a first-timer and all.
Before I launch into the nitty-gritty, let me put your mind at ease. Jam, or preserves, are nothing more than reduced and thickened fruit. If you can make a sauce, you’ve got jam in the bag. And if you don’t mind keeping it in the fridge, you don’t even have to bother with the boiling and sterilizing. I wanted to go ahead and take a proper crack at it, so here’s how it all went down.
After giving them a cool-water rinse, I macerated the berries in sugar overnight, sweetening them and helping them to give up a lot of juice.
I didn’t really bother to pick over the berries, removing stems/leaves, etc., because I knew I’d be straining them anyway. I’m not a fan of seedy jam so I took the extra step. Any other kind of fruit, and I would have loved big chunks, but I just find those big blackberry seeds to be super-annoying. No thanks.
Speaking of de-seeding blackberries, I remember receiving a food-mill as a wedding gift, oh, about an eternity or so ago. This would have been the perfect time to crack it out, but here’s a glimpse into our mad basement organization skillz:
Um, ya. Maybe I’ll just use my seive, mmmmkay?
Back to jam. I let the berries soften up over medium heat, and then I strained them. It was a tedious process, but don’t let that deter you from jam-making. If not for this step, the whole business would have been a snap. And after a little while it became kinda meditative… Scoop in soft berries, push, push, swirl… push, push, swirl… the ladle worked great for this.
I submerged the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes while all this was going on. (Keep them warm so they don’t crack when the hot jam goes in!)
Once the blackberries were de-seeded, I just whacked the puree on the stove and (slowly) brought it up to a bubble, stirring. I also threw the lids into some simmering water to soften up that ring of gummy gunk that makes the seal airtight.
A squeeze of fresh lime, a quick taste for sweetness and maybe a little more sugar or citrus, and once it looked dark, shiny, and thickened, it was ladled into hot, sterilized jars.
Wipe around the rim, lids go on, and the jars are placed back in the big pot of water and boiled for 10 minutes.
Once they’ve cooled completely, you can check the seals. If the “button” pops up and down, then they didn’t seal properly. It’s ok though. Those’ll keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. But if it’s a tight seal, they’ll keep in a cupboard for MONTHS! Perfect homemade gift!
This wasn’t so hard. I’d do it again. As a matter of fact, I’ve got an itch to make a big batch of tomato jam… so keep an eye out for another possible canning post, guys. 😉
And, I’ve got a scrumptious recipe up my sleeve to utilize these sweet and luscious preserves! So stay tuned! I’m totally psyched to get baking again!
A very handy chart, for your reference: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/348/348-594/348-594.html
PS- I didn’t buy any special equipment, other than the jars. A lot of websites/stores will make you think that you need a whole arsenal of task-specific canning equipment, but I just was not interested in making the investment (of time, storage space, or money). A well-stocked kitchen already includes a stockpot and a pair of tongs, and mine’s no exception. I’m sure a wide-mouth funnel, pair of canning tongs, magnetized lid-grabber, and jar-lifter-outer-basket would have been nice, but unless you think you’ll be doing a buttload of canning in the future, I think you’ll get by ok without.
Have you ever tried canning? Do you enjoy it? Are you a pectin-using, recipe following type, or do you just taste and adjust? Have you ever done any interesting flavor combos? (I toyed around with the idea of adding a little gin to my blackberry-lime concoction.) Or are you just completely intimidated by the whole idea? I have to say, that for me, once I gave it a go I realized it’s not so scary. Just keep everything warm and boil it well and you’re golden.
How do you like to use fruit preserves in your baking? Would love to hear your thoughts/ideas; as always, your comments are the bright spot in my day! 😉
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Seedless Blackberry Jam (No Pectin)
Ingredients
For the jam
- 2 1/2 pounds fresh blackberries
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice, (juice of half a lime or lemon)
Equipment
- 3 8-ounce canning jars with fresh lids
- Large Saute Pan
- Sieve
- Tongs
Instructions
- Rinse the berries in cool water, and toss in sugar. Allow to macerate, refrigerated, overnight.
- In a large saute pan, warm the berries over medium heat, until softened.
- Press the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or food mill, to remove the seeds.
- Submerge the jars in a large pot of boiling water, for 10 minutes. Keep warm.
- Place the puree back in the saute pan, and heat, over medium heat, until thickened.
- Place the lids into simmering water to soften the seal.
- Stir in the citrus juice, taste the jam, and adjust seasoning, if needed. When it has reached the desired consistency, spoon it into the hot jars.
- Wipe the edge of each jar with a clean cloth, and place the lid on. Screw on the rings and submerge in boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Remove with tongs, and allow to cool.
Notes
- Allowing the berries to sit overnight in the fridge with the sugar allows them to sweeten and release their juices.
- You don't need to pick over the berries and remove leaves or stems since you will use a sieve later to remove the seeds.
- Allow the berries to soften in a large saute pan over medium heat before you strain them.
- Add the softened berries a scoop at a time to the sieve, push them down, and swirl using the bottom of the ladle to release the juices into a separate bowl.
- To save yourself time, submerge the glass canning jars into the boiling water for about 10 minutes while you strain the juice from the berries.
- Keep the jars warm so when the hot jam is added, they don't crack.
- Once everything is strained, it goes back into the pot to thicken.
- Check the seals on the lids. If they pop up and down, they do not seal properly.
- If correctly sealed, the jars will last for months in your pantry.
- Many websites and stores will make you think you need a whole arsenal of task-specific canning equipment, but you don't! Besides the mason jars for canning, you should have everything in your kitchen.
- Any leftover jam (that does not fill a jar within 1/4" of the rim) can be kept refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.
- Jam that has been appropriately processed (the button on the lid should not pop up and down) can be kept in a cupboard for several months.
I am now nursing wounds from my blackberry picking…no bramble was stopping me from getting to the fattest, glistening with juice, berries! I don’t like the seeds either, so I immediately rinsed and simmered the berries first. Then I pressed them through a sieve. I had a small bowl that fit inside the wire sieve; I placed it so the bottom rounded part of the bowl was acting as a ‘press’ against the berries in the sieve..I put a heavy bottle inside the bowl to act as a weight to help press the juice out, .that way I didn’t have to stand there and press over and over..the weighted bottle did all the work by itself allowing the juice to drip into container below the sieve… (it took about a 45 minutes for all the juice to press out) Now I have tons of juice!! I have simmered the juice with some agave syrup rather than regular sugar. I can see by your recipe, I need to reduce the juice more.
Can’t wait to try your recipe on my dark and delicious ‘black gold’! Your canning bravery has inspired me!
🙂 Dorothy
Yay that’s wonderful Dorothy! I love that you’re using agave and I love your bowl trick! What a great shortcut. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your “black gold!” 😀
Just went blackberry picking today an came home with 3/4 of a flat for under $10! My dad can’t have berry seeds so I’m excited to make him some blackberry jam without seeds, let you know how it turns out!
Yay! That’s so cool what a bargain! I hope you and your dad enjoy. Looking forward to hearing all about it 😉
Ok, so I’m a little impatient and went ahead and made my jam last night! I did not macerate the berries but they were perfectly ripe and very juicy so I think it was ok. Cooked them down for 10 min then used a large sieve and a flat ice cream scoop to press the juice and pulp through. Cooked for another 45 minutes and used the recommended sugar and lemon juice. The jars sealed perfectly and when I checked it this morning it was just the right consistency. Thank you ao much for this recipe! There was just enough tartness (I dont like super sweet jam) and I think I will make a less reduced version to use as syrup on pancakes.
For those that were wondering about pectin, when I was researching online it said that some fruits, like blackberries, have more natural pectin which makes it easier to get a good consistency.
Thanks so much for the great tip, Christine! And I’m so glad you were happy with your jam 😀 I prefer things on the slightly less sweet side too so I guess we have the same taste. I hope you enjoy, and the syrup sounds like a fabulous idea as well!
I just bought blackberries to make jam. How much finished product did you yield?
Approximately (3) 8-ounce jars, as noted on the recipe card. Good luck and thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy 😉
Sorry! I didn’t notice. Thank you for replying.
No worries dear! It’s my pleasure 😉
I just made a batch with seeds and using the instructions on the package of pectin. And, like all my backward projects, I’m now surfing the web looking for recipes…. cuz I’m contrary like that. Now I need to go blackberry picking again so that I can try this w/o the seeds and pectin. It seems pretty straight forward. And I’m in agreement about special canning tools. For my “on a whim” endeavors I don’t need a Jar Lifter… tongs work great. 🙂
Awesome! I’m so glad you like the post and I hope you enjoy the recipe! It’s pretty simple, just reduced berry puree. I need to make more now, lol!
i boiled the jars of jam ten mins. but button still pops? what went wrong?
Hey Nancy! They should suck down as the jars cool. You’ll hear them popping a while after they come out of the water bath. If not, try again! Good luck and thanks for reading 😀
Hi Allie
Your recipe looks good….. low sugar and no pectin. My boy and I picked the fruit this morning and it’s macerating now. I two questions, if I may…..
i) at point does one put in lemon juice ?
ii) I’d rather have non-strained jam, with pips and everything in it. Will your recipe still work ?
Thanks
Mark
Hey Mark! Thanks so much for reading! To answer your questions- the recipe will definitely still work with the pips, in fact, it will be much quicker and easier to make! And secondly, you will want to add the citrus at the very end, after everything has reduced down to your liking, just before putting it in jars. Lemon juice has a tendency to get bitter as it cooks, so you always want to add it at the last possible moment so you get that bright, clean flavor. I hope you and your boy enjoy!
Thank you for your reply, Allie. It turned out great, and was surprisingly quick, as you intimated it might be. We didn’t add the lemon juice, in the end. When I came to use it, somebody had been over-zealous with doing the dishes, so it had disappeared. It tastes absolutely sumptuous anyway, so it’s no huge disaster. Thanks for a great recipe !
PS
Does the lemon element of the recipe have a preservative property, and aids in helping the jam have a longer cupboard life ? Or is it merely a way of adjusting the flavour to one’s own sweetness / sharpness optimum ? Thanks again
Purely for flavor- so feel free to leave it out if it’s not your thing. The preservation all comes from the vacuum sealing/canning process. Great question and thank you for asking!
My pleasure Mark! And I’m so happy you enjoyed. Thanks for the great feedback!
Hi Allie
I just picked up several pounds of organic strawberries at a terrific price. Will your recipe (proportions of fruit to sugar) work with strawberries also ?
Many thanks
Mark
I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it probably would! Good luck and let me know how it all works out 😀
Hi, thanks for this lovely simple recipe! I tried it with 500g blackberries that we picked on a country walk at the weekend. Unfortunately it hasn’t set as a “gel” more as a sticky, gluey solid. Tastes good though and I can still use it for puddings, sauces etc but it’s not really jam. What went wrong?
Hey Liz! I’m so sorry for my late reply here, your message got buried and I just discovered it! It sounds like maybe your jam cooked a little too long. I’m so sorry! If you decide to try again, maybe cook on a little lower heat and/or for less time. It will get even thicker as it cools, so definitely keep that in mind. Thank you so much for reading and for the great question!
This was amazing! We halved the recipe and substituted a bit of the blackberries for some peaches and blueberries. It still worked great. In fact we didn’t even need the lime juice at the end. And when we put it on some freshly baked homemade bread with butter, we were transported.
Oh I’m so happy to hear it! Thank you so much for reading my blog and trying one of my recipes. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
hi i just made this for the first time today. It was as easy as picking the berries and i cant wait til they cool so we can put the jam on toast!! we love our toast with jam in this family of 6..and now with our blackberry bushes surrounding our yard..we can make jam til our hearts content 🙂
thank you!!
That’s wonderful Danielle! You just warmed my heart, thinking about you and all your kiddos eating homemade jam from your backyard bushes 😀 Thanks so much for sharing; I hope you enjoy!
Sieve – auto correct lol
Do you have to get the seeds out by pushing through the goodwill or can you just purée or cook all the way down?
Hey Stacey! You don’t have to strain out the seeds if you don’t want to. It’s definitely easier if you don’t, but I just prefer a seedless jam. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Is it necessary to add the lime/lemon juice? Does it have something to do with the acidity or is it a taste thing?
Hi Helene! And sorry for the late response I’m a little behind… To answer your question- it’s really just for flavor so if you prefer to leave it out, go right ahead! It shouldn’t make any difference at all. Thanks so much for reading and for the excellent question! Hope you enjoy 😀
I recently started making my item fresh blackberry jam.
Aside from lemon juice, I also add lemon zest. The Zandt really adds a nice zing to the flavor.
I just made one jar of my standards blackberry jam but I also crushed about 4 mint leaves and added them to the mixture.
It is a light addition of flavor. Gives it a depth and and makes it different from the standard blackberry jam.
Ooh I love it! Sounds wonderful… herbs and fruit go so well together. Thanks for sharing, Shirley!
Hi! I’ve got blackberries galore and cannot wait to give this a go! Headed to the store now to get some jars 🙂 and then to the kitchen after work to start the ‘mess’!!!! Thanks for the tips!
My pleasure, Mischa! Have fun and enjoy! 😀
I decided to try this recipe. The flavor is amazing however it doesn’t have the texture of a jam. It’s more of a syrup. Do you know what I have done wrong? Should I put it back on the stove to thicken up? Thanks for any help.
Hey Christina! Thanks so much for reading my blog and trying one of my recipes! The good news is, I know exactly what went wrong, and the other good news is, you have great instincts! It needs to cook longer. It will thicken up more as it cooks and reduces, and then even more after that when it cools. Good luck and thanks again!
Going to try this today, but when I read over the recipe, I did not see when to add the lemon or lime juice, silly question but do I just mix with the sugar? Sorry I just want to get it right so I don’t mess up my fresh picked blackberries.Thanks for the recipe!!
Thanks for catching that, Robin! I don’t know that it would make a whole lot of difference, but I’d probably add it in at the very last. Right before putting it into the jars, that is. Sometimes I find that citrus juice can get a little bitter as it cooks, so I always try to add it at the very end. Good luck and have fun!