| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| chaddsgirl |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 1:29:28 PM
A friend and I have picked about 10 gallons of blackberries in the last 7 days. So it's time to make jam. I love blackberry jam, but there are SOOOOO many seeds! I thought about straining it, but then I lose the pulp along with the seeds and it turns out more like jelly. How do you can blackberry jam? With or without the seeds?
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan |
| 21 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Maryjane Lee |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 2:59:04 PM
LOVE it with seeds! Yum!
Hugs!
Maryjane Lee
Farmgirl #44
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| Rivergirl_2007 |
Posted - Aug 09 2009 : 11:50:03 AM
Sarah - I purposely make Blackberry Sauce/Syrup - we use it on ice cream, to make milk shakes, on pancakes/waffles/french toast. Please do not look at it as a mistake, but rather as a whole new pantry item. As for seeds, I prefer the seeds myself. I'm not sure - I think preserves are with seeds, jam is with pulp and no seeds, and jelly is with juice. I also make conserves (preserves with finely chopped fruits or nuts added). |
| Diane B Carter |
Posted - Jul 30 2009 : 07:26:59 AM
I just opened one of the jars and boy is it tart. I think I will add more sugar, a lot more.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
| Diane B Carter |
Posted - Jul 29 2009 : 1:32:32 PM
It was hard on the sides of the pan and on the spoon, so I think it will set up alright it's still to warm to check. I was more afraid I made rubber jelly. I guess I will have to wait & see. I want some one to say you need 4 cups of this and 2 cups of that and cook it for XXX minutes ect. Instead they said I needed 4 cups of prepared blackberrys but didn't say how to prepare them. Add lemon juice (if) listed in recipe. I can't find a recipe. That aggravated me.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
| chaddsgirl |
Posted - Jul 29 2009 : 12:04:04 PM
I know the use of actual sugar plays a very strong role in whether or not the jam/jelly sets. Sure Jell has a pink box that specifically indicates low or no sugar recipies and if I remember correctly also has a recipie where splenda can be used. But I would think (just my opinion) that using splenda may have caused it not to set. I still have the recipe for low/no sugar and will be happy to get it for you, but you have to make sure you are using a pectin that will allow this.
When splenda first came out I tried substituting it for sugar in everything with very mixed results. Like when I used it to make my famous hot fudge sauce, the sauce WOULD NOT get thick no matter how long I cooked it. Eventually I abandoned the use of Splenda. It aggravated me.
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan |
| Diane B Carter |
Posted - Jul 29 2009 : 11:51:36 AM
I used my neighbor's fruit juicer, it was fast. All the blackberries done it a minute. Then I just added the sugar-free fruit pectin till it boiled then I added a cup of splenda. I cooked that until it did not foam then I canned them I only got 6 small jars, they all sealed but are still runny. I read they may take up to a week to set.
Was I suppose to do anything else?? Peggy said the recipe was on the box, I read the box and the paper and I was lost. I need hands on help or at least steps tp follow. Next week the blackberries should be done I'm hoping to get to Liz's land she said they have a lot in their back yard I can have for a jar of jelly.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
| chaddsgirl |
Posted - Jul 29 2009 : 07:06:41 AM
Diane - My mother-in-law recently had a colon blockage removed and is no longer allowed to eat seeds, nuts, veggie or fruit skins etc. Pretty much the same diet they give to people with diverticulitis. About that time I was canning strawberry jam. I didn't have a food mill or anything, so I used an old pair of panty hose to strain the seeds out and get "strawberry juice" to make strawberry jelly. I sterilized the pantyhose in boiling water before straining the fruit. Worked like a charm and she loved the jelly!
I really should invest in a food mill or look into the fruit steamer. I personally don't mind the seeds, but I do have to take precautions now when canning for my in-laws. Thanks for all the great suggestions ladies!! YOu guys are the best! And thanks for making me feel better about my blackberry "syrup". LOL!!! I was just really dissapointed because my husband doesn't like fruit syrup and I don't know what the heck I'm going to do with all of it. :) Apparently I have found some takers!!
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan |
| palmettogirl |
Posted - Jul 29 2009 : 05:29:12 AM
it does taste great on ice cream...pancakes, etc. so how about making pretty little fabric tops with ribbons and giving some of them out as christmas gifts?! oh, by the way, this may sound weird but, i will saute' fresh tuna so that it's cooked on the outside and closer to raw on the inside and serve it with a drop of wasabi or maybe a little horseraddish and some blueberry sauce. (the hot/spicy part makes it a little like sushi). like i said, it sounds weird but it tastes good--to me, at least!! |
| Lynner |
Posted - Jul 29 2009 : 05:24:38 AM
Sarah, there is no waste in what you did, it is all good! I have not found any place to pick blackberries, so good for you. You really hit the mother load of blackberries. In the past, with all the blackberries I was able to have, I always left the seeds in, not a problem. But then I dont mind tomato skins in my jars either. I eat it all. For some who have health issues, of course you would have to strain them. Happy blackberrying.
Sheri
Many Hands Make Light Work!
...God made the seed to grow...1 Cor 3:6
The best fertilizer for a farm, are the farmers footsteps... |
| Marybeth |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 11:08:03 PM
I use a Foley mill to get the seeds out or skins if I make grape Jam. It isn't quite jelly because you get some fibers etc so it is jam without seeds.
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"Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well dance!" |
| Cabinprincess |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 8:55:19 PM
I don't like the seeds at all but I do love the pulpiness of jam so I do a cheater version. I have a old enamel fruit juicer/steamer. You put all the fruit in the top section, water in the bottom, and the steam rises up to the fruit and somehow sucks all the juice out and it drains it to the middle section and out the drain tube into my container. All the pulp and seeds get left behind and I have gallons of juice. Now here is the cheater part. I take a hand full of seedless grapes and pulse them a couple times in the food processor and then put them in with the batch of juice I'm going to make the jam with. The juice is strong enough that the grape pulp just absorbs it and you would never know it was really grape pulp. But you have NO seeds and don't have to do all that mashing and grinding. You can find older fruit juice steamers on Ebay if you keep an eye out for them but if you do a lot of jelly's and jams it is worth the investment for a new one. I am even wondering now if I could not get the same thing using my Mr. Juicer. I've never put berries in it but am going to try and see what comes out. Also I don't always like being in the hot kitchen jelly making in the hot summer so I freeze most of my juice and wait for the coolness of fall to start mine.
Smiles, Melody June
God's gift to you are your talents, your gift to Him is how you use them. |
| quiltin mama |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 8:41:07 PM
Hosanna had a great idea by using half and half. I always can mine with all the seeds. I don't like it without! :)
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| Roxy7 |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 8:17:50 PM
blackberry syrup is delicious added to a pitcher of iced tea. |
| Alee |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 8:11:31 PM
Hmmm- Sarah- If you want to off load that blackberry syrup...I would adopt it and give it a good home :D LOL
Any way- I have never made jam, but I have made blackberry pies when I had a good patch near by. I just left the seeds in.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
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| lovelady |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 6:32:28 PM
Sarah, that is SO not a waste of good berries!! Think how great blackberry syrup will be on ice cream, pancakes, waffles....People pay lots of money for fruit syrups! I pretty much did that last year when I was trying to make peach butter. It is great stirred into some yogurt and granola! |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 5:50:26 PM
I usually crush half of the berries and put the rest through a food mill to remove seeds. That way it's not exactly jelly, and there are fewer seeds, at least. |
| Diane B Carter |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 5:38:30 PM
My girlfriend Peggy made me some blackberrie jam that is really good No seeds at all so I now want to try to make some for gifts. No seeds will be the way I am going to try to make it. My brother and a neighbor can not eat seeds. Any tips??? I have never made jam or jelly and I'm a little scared. But I bet the blackberry sauce over vanilla ice cream is heavenly. I don't think its a mistake. I think people would like the sauce, I know I would.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 3:08:12 PM
I leave the seeds..haven't had a complaint yet..Yum! I just love blackberries..my favorite berry for sure. I have a few strawberries and a few boysenberries growing...NEED to put out blackberries next year!
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
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| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 3:04:36 PM
Blackberry syrup on homemade vanilla ice cream, yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| chaddsgirl |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 1:53:17 PM
LOL!!! Thanks Toni!! I already wasted one gallon making a double batch of jam last week that turned out more like thick syrup. It tasted good, but I wasn't being careful so now we have 8 pints of blackberry syrup. Made me sick that I wasted good berries, but I'll find some way to use it. I hate admitting failure, but at least I have enough berries to redeem myself.
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan |
| lovelady |
Posted - Jul 28 2009 : 1:48:16 PM
Congratulations on your berry harvest! Mine were not very plentiful this year, so I'm glad we had a good year last year. I find that my laziness outweighs my dislike for seeds, so I don't worry about straining them out of my jam, but my mom does, and her's turns out really well, too. Have fun, whatever you decide to do! It will be delicious either way! |
