Old Fashioned Blackberry Jelly

There is nothing that personifies the south like blackberry jelly.  I remember as a child walking the fence rows and ditches with my Bigmama, a dishpan in hand gathering wild blackberries.  Of course, we ate as many as we picked, and she was constantly on the lookout for "rattlers".  My husband used to say there were 3 types of snakes in the world and all three would hurt you or make your hurt yourself:  1) poisonous 2) non-poisonous and 3) stick that looks like a snake.  That 3rd one got me more than once this weekend.

I happened across a vintage steamer in a flea market a couple of years back and this was the first time I've used it.  This thing is AWESOME!!  I was able to get almost 3/4 gallon of juice from the berries and it is all straight juice, no water added.  Simple too.  Just put it on the stove, adjust the temp (make sure you don't have any leaks--as you can see from my photos, that was a lesson learned mid-way through the process).  About 75 minutes later, I was in blackberry juice heaven!  I cannot wait to try it with plums and grapes.

As with any canning, ensure your jars are free of cracks and chips and well sanitized.  I know some people use a dishwasher, but I boil mine for about 10 minutes in my water bath canner then leave them sitting until the jelly is ready for jars. 

This type of jelly is beyond simple to make, and the great part, you know everything that's in it.  No artificial flavoring or colors.

3 3/4 cups blackberry juice

4 1/2 cups sugar

1 box of pectin (I always use Sure-Jell)

Add the pectin to the juice and bring to a roiling boil (stirring constantly) that cannot be stirred down.  Immediately add all the sugar and continue stirring constantly.  Once it comes to a full roiling boil, cook for 1 minute exactly and remove from heat.  You can add 1/2 tbsp of butter if you'd like to cut down on the foam.

Skim the foam from the top and ladle into hot jars leaving 1/2" head space.  Wipe rims well with a clean cloth and place lids and rings.  Finger tighten and then water bath for 5 minutes.  This recipe should produce six (6) 1/2 pints or three (3) pints of beautiful delicious jelly.  Enjoy!