Blackberry Jam Recipe for Canning

When I was a girl, it was tradition to head out on hot summer weekends to forage for wild blackberries. They’re still one of my all-time favorite fruits and store bought berries just don’t hold a candle to the flavor of those feral berries. 

We’d bring buckets of berries (and lots of scratches) home for making cobbler and pie and of course, blackberry jam. 

Low Sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe

The flavor of fresh ripe berries is delicious and plenty sweet. Making homemade blackberry jam with pectin helps it jell more readily; some pectin brands require a LOT of sugar in order for the jam to set. This recipe is made with much less sugar thanks to a low methoxyl pectin. 

Ingredients

Blackberries — Fresh berries are ideal for this recipe, but frozen berries will do. Choose berries that are ripe but firm; avoid overripe fruit.

Sugar — Use your favorite brand of granulated cane sugar. I prefer organic.

Pectin – This recipe is made using Pomona’s Universal Pectin. This is the only pectin I use anymore as it allows me to use much less sweetener. The standard pectin brands use an obscene amount of sugar in my opinion, often requiring equal amounts of sugar and fruit! This product uses a low methoxyl method and calls for using two different ingredients, which are included in the box: pectin (the large packet) and calcium powder (the small packet). The dry pectin is mixed with the sweetener before being added to the fruit. The calcium water is added directly to the fruit.

Lemon juice: USDA preserving recipes all call for using bottled lemon juice. This assures that the acidity level in recipes is safe for canning.

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Cooking the jam

Wash the berries and mash using a potato masher. Leave some larger chunks if you like your jam chunky or really pulverize the fruit for a less chunky blackberry jam. 

Start by measuring out the mashed berries. You’ll need about 5 pounds of fresh berries to make enough mashed berries for this recipe. Heat the berries in a large saucepan along with the lemon juice and calcium water. 

Combine the pectin with the sweetener, making sure it’s thoroughly combined. 

When the mixture is boiling, add the sweetener to cooking berries, stirring for a minute or two to assure that the pectin is well distributed. 

This recipe measured at a pH under 3.0, putting it well into the “safe” zone for water bath canning. 

Canning Jam

You’ll need special canning jars, lids, and rings (read more about canning equipment here) to make this blackberry jam shelf-stable, but the process isn’t difficult.

Fill the jars of bramble jam leaving a quarter inch headspace. Place the lids on and process them in a boiling water bath. What this means is you’ll put the filled and sealed jars of jam into boiling water and heat them for ten minutes. This assures that the jars will seal well.

Remove the jars to a towel-covered countertop and allow to cool fully. As they cool, you’ll hear the little “tink” sound of the jars sealing. Store any unsealed jars in the fridge and use those first. (This is unusual, but it does happen once in awhile.)

Remove the ring from each sealed jar, rinse to remove any jam residue, and store (without the ring) at room temperature in the pantry.

Blackberry Freezer Jam

Here’s good news if you’re not ready to delve into home canning. This recipe works well as a blackberry freezer jam recipe. To make it, simply process the jam as instructed. Transfer to containers being sure to leave enough headspace for safe freezing if using glass.

You can use upcycled glass jars for blackberry freezer jam; no need to use canning jars. Or you can use other freezer containers, as you like. 

Put the containers of jam in the freezer; use them up within six months or so. 

Continue to Content

Blackberry Jam Recipe

Yield: 8-9 half pint jars

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Turn fresh berries into a delicious fruit spread with this lower sugar blackberry jam recipe.

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Ingredients

• 8 cups mashed blackberries (about 5 pounds whole berries)
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (bottled)
• 4 teaspoons calcium water (from the Pomona's Universal Pectin package)
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons pectin powder (from the Pomona's Universal Pectin package)

Instructions

Prepare for Canning

1. Prepare the calcium water: Combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (from the small packet in the box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small jar. Screw on a lit and shake until well-combined. You'll have more than you need for this recipe. Store the excess in the refrigerator for use in making additional jam or jelly recipes.
2. Wash the jars you'll use, making sure each is clean and free of nicks in the rim, which could impede sealing.
3. Wash the lids and rings in hot soapy water. (If you're using non-Ball brand lids, prepare as suggested by manufacturer.)
4. Place empty jars in a canning pot or large stock pot with enough water to cover by an inch or two, cover pot, and set on high heat. It can take awhile for the water to heat, so get it started before you begin making the recipe.

Make the jam

1. Wash the berries and mash using a potato masher. Leave some larger chunks if you like your jam chunky or really pulverize the fruit for a less chunky blackberry jam.
2. Measure mashed berries into a large pot along with 4 teaspoons of the prepared calcium water and the lemon juice.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar with 4 teaspoons pectin powder (the large envelope) until thoroughly combined.
4. Bring berries to a full boil. Add sugar mixture, stirring vigorously for a couple of minutes to dissolve the pectin. Once returned to a full boil, remove from heat.

Canning blackberry jam

1. Ladle hot berry jam into half-pint jars to within a quarter inch of the rim. A canning funnel makes this easy.
2. Wipe jar rims to remove any jam that may have spilled. A clean rim is essential to a good seal.
3. Set jar lids in place. Screw bands on finger tight.
4. Use a jar lifter to gently submerge jars into hot water in canning pot. Water should cover the top of the jars by an inch. The water will cool somewhat in reaction to the addition of the jars. Return the water to a low boil and then set the timer.
5. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Add a minute to the boiling time for every 1,000' above sea level.
6. Check seals. Lids should be solid and pulled down tight. (if they flex and pop, the jar didn’t seal; put unsealed jars in the refrigerator and use those first).
7. Remove rings and wash outsides of jars. Store in a cool, dry place.

Notes

Fresh berries are ideal for this recipe, but frozen berries will do. You can mash berries by hand or a use a food processor to make a finer jam. 

USDA preserving recipes all call for using bottled lemon juice. This assures that the acidity level in recipes is safe for canning.

Boiling lids or heating above 180°F as once recommended can damage the sealing compound.

SOURCE: Adapted from Pomona's Universal Pectin.

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