Wild Berry Jam

Who doesn't love scoring something for free?

I am all for it. Especially when it's blackberries...

and raspberries.

It's enough to make a girl want to celebrate!

Here's my take on a mixed berry jam. I had my doubts, but it came out perfectly. I was worried about a slight bitterness in the blackberries, that I think was due to our hot, dry summer. And the gel was suspect. But in the end, the flavor smoothed out and the gel gelled. I think I can thank the nice set to the many under ripe blackberries I picked.

9 cups of berries, I did raspberries and black berries

3 cups of sugar

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Put them all in your pot and slowly bring to a boil. Mine set at 216 degrees, and that took sixteen minutes, from boil time to turning off the heat. I processed for ten minutes.

Note: my measurements are pretty standard for berry jam, based on a quite a few books I consulted, however, I like to always point out that I have not tested these. My recipe is closest to Linda Ziedrich's recipe from Joy of Jams and Jellies, but her recipe uses weight and mine volume on the berries.

And this is what happens when you try to use a sweet little jar you found in your grandma-in-law's basement. A sweet mess all over.