Blackberry jam using liquid pectin

We picked a big mess of blackberries and one of the things I did with them was make blackberry jam.

Normally I use powdered pectin when I make jelly or jam.

However, this past winter I stocked up on several boxes of liquid pectin that was on clearance at the grocery store and it needed to be used up.

I'd never used liquid pectin because I'd heard horror stories about how it either caused the jelly to "set" too quickly and made it difficult to get into the jars without bubbles forming or made the jelly too soft and it didn't set at all.

So, I decided to put it to the test with jam. I wanted to try it out with jam instead of jelly because jam has bits of fruit and pulp rather than just juice alone and I thought it might be a little more forgiving.

First, let me explain about the differences between powdered and liquid pectin. They're both the same thing - pectin - but one is already dissolved and one isn't. Because of this difference, the two are NOT interchangeable.

If you have a recipe that calls for powdered pectin, you MUST use powdered pectin. If you have a recipe that calls for liquid pectin, you MUST use liquid pectin.

The two are added at different times in the jellymaking process. Powdered pectin is added to the juice at the beginning, brought to a boil, and then the sugar is added at the end.

With liquid pectin, the juice and sugar are mixed together first, brought to a boil, and then the pectin is added at the end.

Here is how to make Blackberry Jam using liquid pectin:

BLACKBERRY JAM WITH LIQUID PECTIN
2 quarts blackberries, mashed to make 4 cups of pulp
7 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional, to reduce foaming)
1 pouch liquid pectin

To prepare blackberries:
Wash and rinse well.

In a large bowl, mash blackberries with a potato masher. (Or, put blackberries in a large, sturdy ziplock bag, seal, and then beat the heck out of the berries with a rolling pin!)

To make seedless jam, press the mashed berries through a sieve or a food mill to strain out seeds.

Prepare boiling water canner for processing. Wash and rinse jars. Sterilize in boiling water or dishwasher. Wash and rinse lids and bands. Simmer lids in hot water (DO NOT BOIL).

Pour fruit pulp into a large pot. Add sugar and stir. Add butter/margarine, if desired, to reduce foaming. Stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Stir in pectin and return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute.

Remove from heat. Skim off foam.

Pour hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover jars with lids and screw on bands to finger resistance.

Place jars in boiling water canner and process 10 minutes, or adjusted for altitude.

THE RESULT:

The texture was perfect for jam. Not stiff at all and not runny, either. It remained pourable enough to get it into the jars without seizing and set up nicely during the boiling water bath.

It passed the taste test, too. No weird taste... just sweet blackberry.

No bubbles in the jars, good color and just enough clarity.

Overall, a much nicer consistency and result than I've had making jams with powdered pectin. Consider me a convert, at least as far as jam is concerned. When I make jam in the future, I believe I'll be using liquid pectin.

Next batch of jelly I make, I will try making it with liquid pectin, just to see what kind of result I'll get. Stay tuned!

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