It’s blackberry time! I love all things blackberry. This year, we trekked over to the goat farm because we’d heard about their fabulous, magical blackberries, hoardes of them that just fell into your bucket. Okay, they didn’t say that, but they said they had a lot of blackberries, and wow, was that true.
As with all good blackberry patches, getting there was half the battle.
We went over the hill and behind the barn and then down, down, down this path. Really, that’s a path. It got narrower and steeper then down some more and through wild overgrowth where you couldn’t even see a path and then the angels sang and the blackberries fell into our buckets. Okay, they still didn’t fall into our buckets, but it was a fabulous blackberry patch. The kind of patch that feeds into your blackberry addiction and you pick and pick and have to get those other ones, the ones that are hard to reach, and you find yourself walking further and further into brambles. And if you have to throw yourself on the ground and wallow in the brambles to get that last, best berry, you will. Because it’s that good.
And then you realize you have to walk back up that long, steep hill outta there and you think you’ll die.
Then you miraculously survive and go home to make jam.
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How to make Blackberry Jam:
5 cups blackberries
7 cups sugar
1 package fruit pectin
This same recipe works for raspberries, boysenberries, dewberries, and youngberries, too. If you’ve never canned before, check out my How to Can: Hot Water Bath Method!
Clean blackberries. Get your water boiling in your canning pot, rack tucked inside. Boil lids in a small pan then remove to dry on a paper towel using tongs. While water is coming to a boil in your big pot, place blackberries in another large pot. Add pectin and bring to a full, rolling boil. (Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to reduce foaming, if desired.) Meanwhile, get your sugar measured and ready. As soon as blackberries and pectin are at the boil, add sugar all at once. Return to boil and keep at the full, rolling boil for one minute. Remove from heat and ladle immediately into clean, sterilized jars. Place lids on top, screw on bands, and lower onto rack in your pot of boiling water. Cover and boil 10 minutes.
Makes approximately 8 half-pints.
Variations on the standard blackberry jam recipe:
I got these great ideas from Missy at the goat farm!
Spiced Blackberry Jam–add 1/2 cup ground cinnamon and 2 tablespoons cloves. (Add spices in with the sugar step.)
For these variations, add the ingredients in along with the berries and pectin in the first step.
Blackberry-Basil Jam–add 1 cup finely chopped fresh basil.
Blackberry-Jalapeno Jam–add 1 finely chopped large jalapeno.
Blackberry-Grand Marnier Jam–add 1 cup Grand Marnier (or other alcohol of choice!)
I can’t let fresh blackberries pass by without saving some out for a sweet, warm, juicy crumble, and you can use this same quick and easy crumble recipe for other berries, apples, pears, apricots, etc.
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How to make Fruit Crumble:
2 cups fresh fruit
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
Place fruit in a 9-inch greased pie pan. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and egg.
Stir into a crumbly mixture. Spoon over fruit in pie dish.
Cut butter over the fruit crumble. This is a whole stick of butter. Keep going. Do not fear the butter. It’s gonna be soooooo good!! Bake at 350-degrees for 30-40 minutes, until crumble top turns golden brown. Top with vanilla ice cream! (HEAVEN!)
This is the quickest, easiest, and downright yummiest blackberry recipe I know. It’s my favorite and I make it as often as I can. I love it!
What do you love to do with blackberries? Do you have any other blackberry jam variations you use? Do you go blackberry picking? Do you get addicted and wallow in the brambles to get that last, best berry? Inquiring minds need to know!
See these recipes at Farm Bell Recipes and save them to your recipe box:
Fruit Crumble
Blackberry Jam Variations
See All My Recipes
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Carolyn A. says:
Suzanne,
Have you ever thought of selling some of the delicious stuff you can? Seriously, I would be willing to buy some and pay for shipping and everything. I don’t have the resources to can anything and I so miss fresh jams. If you’re willing, please contact me through my email. I am addicted to your site and visit it everyday as soon as my eyes open in the morning. Love ya, hon! xxoo
On August 3, 2008 at 6:27 am
Lisa J says:
I love black berries as well. But the thing that keeps me form picking them are the chiggers. I hate chiggers, so how to you avoid them? Do you all have chiggers there? If you have any great secrets to that PLEASE let me know. It keeps me from picking the fresh blackberries on my parents 40 acres.
On August 3, 2008 at 7:11 am
Kristine says:
My family experiences blueberry fever. It means hours of driving around in the woods, down “roads” that aren’t qualified to carry the title of road! Then bending over, picking coffee cans full of the tiny wild berries. (Because wild blueberries grow on bushes that are only around 12″ high). The picking is followed by promises of “I JUST found a really great patch, I just want to pick this one then we’re done.” “There’s an even BETTER patch behind the first, I’ll just pick that one, then we’re done. I promise. Really.”
My dad takes a cooler of icy cold beverages along. But you only get one when you show up with a FULL coffee can of berries. As near as I can tell, it takes about eleventy bazillion berries to fill up a coffee can.
On August 3, 2008 at 7:24 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Carolyn, I don’t think I can produce in the quantities needed to sell, though I’ve thought about it!
Lisa, I wore jeans and socks with boots, and I put some bug repellent just inside and above the socks in case chiggers got in there. I also put some bug repellent on my arms and around my waistline. We do have chiggers here and I get them sometimes, but the bug repellent saved me yesterday!
On August 3, 2008 at 7:24 am
Sue says:
Hey from Delaware. Hubby ordered and planted 40 blackberry bushes this spring and now they are beautiful. Sadly we haveta pick the fruit off this year so we can have gobbs of them next year! I have to confess to sneaking some eating and picking as we go along! 😆 Glad to see you braved the elements?! for the great tasting berries.
On August 3, 2008 at 7:39 am
J says:
This brought back a lot of fond memories for me and mom (I read your blog out loud for her). Luv your crumble recipe.
:fryingpan: CHIGGERS… Just put a spalsh of bleach in your bath water and take a hot soak when you get home. Kills those little buggers :shimmy:
On August 3, 2008 at 7:40 am
Amelia says:
The only way I fix our blackberries is in a cobbler…but I make it with regular pie dough crust on top. Oh yes, it is great tasting – especailly with vanilla ice cream on top.
On August 3, 2008 at 7:49 am
jane says:
Suzanne
When I made the peach jam, i had troube getting just the chopped peaches, lemon juice and one packet of pectin to boil. did I have it on too high heat. it taste wonderful but isnot as set as I would like. i have usually had more liquid in there to boil. yours looks wonderful.
i wonder is there a canning club out there? I love to hear the lids ping.
On August 3, 2008 at 8:00 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Jane, depending on your stove, it can take a while to get to a full rolling boil that can’t get stirred down, so that’s normal. I use a gas stovetop and it takes quite a while to get that full boil! In order for the jam to set right, it needs to get to a full rolling boil that can’t be stirred down and then again come to a hard boil after the sugar is added.
On August 3, 2008 at 8:05 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Oh–and sometimes I do get impatient waiting for the boil, and every time I do, I regret it because the jam won’t set right! 😥
On August 3, 2008 at 8:06 am
Suzette says:
I’m so glad that other people suffer from this addition. Makes me feel a little less isolated. 🙂 Yes, I struggle to get that berry that’s just out of reach. I finally learned that if I’ll bring a set of barbeque tongs with me, I can wrangle the wayward vine so that it repositions itself closer to my bucket.
I almost follow the recipe on the Sure-Jell package, except that I don’t like the seeds in my jam. So, I squish the fruit through a colander first…then I measure it. I also add an extra cup of fruit, because I find that the standard recipe is a little firm for my taste. I do that for all my jams, not just blackberry.
The season is over here, and our berries aren’t as plentiful or fat as yours. I’m envious. SIGH….
On August 3, 2008 at 8:20 am
Shimmy Mom says:
MMMMMMMM yummy! Blackberries are my hubby’s absolute favorite!
On August 3, 2008 at 9:05 am
Sarita says:
We did exactly the same thing yesterday! Well, almost…we spent the day making blackberry jam, blueberry jam and bread and butter pickles.
We’ve got leftover blackberries. Now I know what to do with them, thanks! :shimmy:
On August 3, 2008 at 9:39 am
Gail says:
We had blackberry and blueberry bushes where we lived before. Don’t have any here and I miss them ! I WANT COBBLER! And now after looking at those yummy photos, I am hungry!
On August 3, 2008 at 9:50 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
I’m still making jam today, by the way, and I’m making a batch of Blackberry-Brandy jam right now. Just as with the Blackberry-Grand Marnier, I added 1 cup of brandy. 🙂
On August 3, 2008 at 10:19 am
kacey says:
Hm, might try that crumble recipe on some fresh peaches I got…It looks delicious!
On August 3, 2008 at 10:21 am
wkf says:
Our Blackberries come in so early. We have three patches.
One I discovered this year that seems to come in a couple of weeks earlier than the others. But when the blackberries come in we stop on the driveway coming and going to get a handful. My daughter learned the blackberry walk very early. I’ve been eyeballing the persimmons this year. Looks like it might be a good year for them.
:flying:
On August 3, 2008 at 10:34 am
Shari C says:
blackberries are just the best…absolutely love them. I have to admit that I buy mine though as there are not too many places in town here to find them.
On August 3, 2008 at 10:35 am
Christine says:
I just make some blackberry freezer jam and boy is it good and blueberrys were on sale so we got some jam made from them and wow!
On August 3, 2008 at 10:54 am
Terry says:
love your pie, I remember my mother in law’s berry patch. They didn’t trim it back each year, so it got huge. It was well over 10 foot tall, and the best berries were always at the top.LOL. My brother in law had his wife make him a pair of sleeves made from jeans. He would then lay an extension ladder on the bushes and climb up and pick those thumb sized beauties for us. We would take the full bucket and hand him up an empty one. He was rewarded with cobbler. We would tease him saying that “when you fall in there, we’ll push food and water into the patch for him, “cause there weren’t no way he’ll ever be able to get out alive” LOL
On August 3, 2008 at 11:07 am
Donna says:
Wow, that blue- eyed goat has gorgeous eyes!
I remember going blackberry picking along the sides of the country roads, oh, about 1986 – my boyfriend told me to wear boots, incase there were rattle snakes. I think he picked and I ate. LOL We brought them home and he made a blackberry cobbler or pie, I forget which. I love a man that cooks. I think we also had to battle some thorn bushes/bramble.
Your crumble looks FAB – I LOVE cobblers and pies..YUM
On August 3, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Sandy says:
I used your church ladies pie crust and made a wonderful blackberry pie with ours. Topped it with Dairy Queen ice cream. WOW!! My brother begged me to save some berries for him to make wine….but I think he needs to pick his own berries for that. He lives too far away for me to receive samples of his home brew anyway. . :snoopy:
On August 3, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Jennifer Robin says:
I’ve been known to wallow in brambles with my camera, no less, and found myself painfully entangled. 😕 😮 😥 The Pacific Northwest is great berry picking territory, and just yesterday, I had thimble berries and salmonberries for a snack and loganberries, marionberries, gooseberries, raspberries, and blueberries with my dinner! :shimmy: :bananadance:
On August 3, 2008 at 12:55 pm
sunnid755 says:
Brings back memories of being a kid at my grandma’s, we picked blackberries, and made a cobbler. She’d melt a stick of butter in the bottom of an 8×13 pan and then mix a cup of self rising flour, a cup of sugar and a cup of milk, a teaspoon of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamin and pour in the pan over the butter, then cook the blackberries with a little sugar and pour over that. I was sure she had messed up and done it backwards, and she assured me that she’d done it right. She sat a chair in front of the stove and turned the oven light on and as I watched it, the flour batter bubbled to the top and made the nicest brown crust. It was SO GOOD! :hungry:
On August 3, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Susan says:
The blueberries are huge and delicious this year, but we’re finding very few blackberries.
On August 3, 2008 at 1:42 pm
robin says:
oh yum…we ate all of our blackberries without making it
to the canning part! but i did put up jars of guava jelly
today…licked the pot…it is so so good to put up fruit
for later enjoyment! great recipes – gotta try this one!
On August 3, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Jean says:
Now you’re just killing me! My great-aunt took me blackberry picking in KY when I was about 10 and I have picked blackberries and made blackberry jam everywhere I have lived since then (until now-they just don’t do well in AZ!) from CA to OR to WV and back to CA, then to AZ. I gave half-pint jars for Christmas and just for little gifts to friends. It is one of my best memories, one that I hope I have passed on to my daughter. And yes, I always made cobblers. I’ll try your recipe next – all of your recipes have been just great. When do you find time to write???
On August 3, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Patty says:
I love blackberries too! When I was a kid I’d go pick them just to eat. My Mom made the world’s best blackberry jam and huge cobblers. Now I have 4 daughters and I send them out to pick them. They like doing it!
Ours are in season around the 4th of July here (4 hours South of you where it doesn’t snow), but I just sent them to see if there’s any late season stragglers on the bushes. I’m really craving blackberry cobbler!! I never tried to can anything, that was something my Mom and much older sister did together, so I never learned. You sure make it sound easy. Maybe I’ll give it a try with peaches since they’re everywhere here now. I love excuses to buy new things for my kitchen anyway!
On August 3, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Estella says:
Your recipes remind me of when I was younger and had a family to feed.Nothing is better on toast than homemade jam.
We do not have chiggers here and my kids(4) picked the berries for me.
On August 3, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Brandy says:
My Out-laws took my children blackberry picking a couple of weeks ago. They brought home about a gallon of berries. Before I could even make ANYTHING with them the kids and their friends had eaten them ALL. *g* Now I have blueberries. Any recipes for those? *G*
On August 3, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Stephanie says:
OMG – I love blackberries. Absolutley my favorite fruit, next to watermelon… 🙂 I sent my mom into town to buy me a canner today. She still lives in the country, and will have them readily available. Unlike here in Suburbia NOT Heaven, where I look like I have 3 heads asking about a waterbath canner…
I can’t wait until we move back to the country. Please somebody, buy this house.
On August 3, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Jyl says:
I wish I liked blackberries, but I don’t. We have TONS of blackberries here so I just call all my friends that do like them and they come and have a pick fest. I do however love blueberries!
On August 3, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Alison says:
There are some very pretty bucks in that picture. 🙂 When you get your buck will you be able to get it from the goat farm. Or will you have to go to a different place to get one that is unrelated to Clover and Nutmeg?
On August 3, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Blaze says:
HAH!
thats so funny, my girl and I went back to the family farm and went hunting for blackberry’s.
Unfortunately the deer had pretty much taken care of them, along with the birds.
Just not much left at all unfortunately..
OH!
and she say’s thanks for the tip on where to find the can lifter!
On August 3, 2008 at 10:07 pm
catslady says:
How wonderful to have your own bushes. They cost an arm and a leg at the grocery store!
On August 3, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Crystal B. says:
Yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipes.
On August 4, 2008 at 11:52 am
Lexi Connor says:
OMG, I skimmed the post but the pictures have my mouth watering!
On August 4, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Traci says:
I made this recipe & WOW. We ate the whole pan in one sitting. :hungry:
On August 23, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Nancy says:
Have a problem. I picked blackberries today but saw a few that had worms. I picked some out and froze the rest of the berries. If there were some I am sure there are more. I believe the worms are from fruit flies because I saw them flying around some of the berries. If you boil them will it hurt if there are a few left? I would hate to throw it all away.. I picked massive…… HELP!!
Nancy
On September 18, 2008 at 12:34 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Nancy, I always pick over my fruit really good because I’m just really paranoid about it, but I’m sure some stuff gets through anytime anyone cans and probably more when it’s canned by manufacturers because they don’t hand-pick over it! It’s going to be boiled, so it won’t hurt anything. I sure wouldn’t throw it away!
On September 18, 2008 at 7:05 am
Rose says:
OMG it tastes so so so good i love you so much. The pics are so mouth watering. I LOVE IT.
On July 8, 2010 at 11:35 am
Vicki says:
We love the blackberry crumble! It’s a big hit with everyone, and my husband has declared it even better than the traditional cobbler we both grew up with….which is great since the crumble is so easy to make. We live near Phoenix, AZ and he planted blackberry vines about 3-4 years ago. I never dreamed that they would survive! The first year, we got like one berry, the next maybe a handful. This year they were covered in big juicy berries and I was able to freeze quite a few. I grew up in MO and picking them here is nothing like back home! They grow on our back fence, there are no weeds or even grass to wade through, no ticks, no chiggers, no thorns on the bushes, & it’s shady, too! And, for whatever reason, the local birds weren’t interested! The grandkids loved picking & eating them, it’s wonderful to be able to show them where food really comes from! Thanks for a great recipe!
On August 23, 2010 at 2:44 am
Sheila says:
When I was little , my great aunt would take my older sister and I out to a small blackberry patch that was behind her house and we’d fill theses little styrofoam cups with them and take them home and sprinkle sugar over the tops of them and sit at the kitchen table chowing down on them (ahhh the memories) then afterwards she’d take us to a natural spring to fill jugs with water (which she’d use to boil the leftover blackberries) I can’t remember what the desert was , but I remember it was soooooo good LOL :hungry:
On November 15, 2010 at 10:12 pm
zteagirl71 says:
Ah, this reminds me of huckleberry picking in Eastern Washington. We six kids picked a lot of berries on that beautiful sunny day, but not before I stepped in some sort of bee nest and got stung only once (miraculously), after frantically waving my arms and screaming. :no: After that berry picking was quite fun. Then my mom made what seemed like hundreds of jars of yummy jam. Oh how I miss that jam! I would love to make some but…alas… we don’t live near huckleberry country and it costs a small fortune to order some! Maybe some day I’ll treat myself and make my dream come true by shelling out the dough!
On February 8, 2014 at 6:25 pm
billbanta says:
I recall my mom making cobbler with jam in the offseason. Have you tried that? Or have a recipe?
On May 4, 2014 at 11:35 am