*BLACKBERRIES IN THE WILD
WHY WILD BERRIES?
As you see the berries in the picture are much smaller and less hearty then store bought berries. However there are a lot of reasons I use the wild variety instead. First, it's way healthier to go for an adventure in the woods to forage for food (and funner). Secondly, these are receiving ALL the variety of nutrients a forest floor can produce instead of just what man feeds it. So we also get those nutrients through consumption. They also taste a lot better then store bought berries.(I believe) And lastly, it's like a scavenger hunt as you rustle around trying to find them. So it's like being a kid again.
LET'S GET THE JUICES FLOWING
First....we will be using a stove, please be careful.
So first after returning home with my bounty, all the berries are laid out for inspection. This is done to pick out any debris such as little leaves and sticks. Also this is when you eliminate any bugs that may have been living in or snacking on the berries.
I only found this one little guy so... Either I got really lucky picking the berries...or a lot of bugs got by me.😁😁
After the inspection the berries are given a very gentle rinsing.(We use a well, so no chlorine and flouride wash here.) Then they are put into a metal pan to be smashed.
You can see in the picture, the sauce is very thick and textured. This because we use the entire Berry and do not filter out anything even the seeds. I will then add nothing else other then a little sugar and some fruit pectin to make it be able to gel. Then I mix and smash more, until I no longer hear seeds crushing. This is done to release the nutrients stored in the seeds into the sauce.
TIME FOR SOME HEAT
Now there are two things that need done now that involve heat. First we need to get our canning jars into some water and get them heated up to near boiling temperture.(This will prevent cracking of the jars that would happen if we were to pour boiling hot sauce into cold jars.😁)
Once the jars are in and starting to heat, we turn our attention to our second thing, that beautiful blackberry sauce we have. It is put on the stove at high heat to get it to a boil as fast as possible. IT MUST BE STIRRED THE ENTIRE TIME TO PREVENT BURNING!!!
Once it comes to a rapid boil, let it boil for 30 to 45 seconds. (NEVER LONGER THEN A MINUTE OR IT WILL NOT GEL CORRECTLY.) Remove it from the heat and immediately start filling your jars with the sauce. A funnel makes this task easier.(also, stir in between each jar you fill or your last jar will be very thick and seedy.😁)
Immediately after filling each jar, tighten a lid on it right away. The jars then need covered with water about an inch above their tops. Turn the heat back on high, and once it starts boiling allow it to continue for 10 minutes and remove from the heat. Then simply leave them alone to cool at their own speed.
Once they have completely cooled,remove them from the water. They can be stored any where and will stay good for at least 18 months. They will stay good longer the cooler you keep them. Years in a refridgerator if not opened. Allow them to cool to fridge temp before eating for the best experience. 
TASTE TEST TIME
What's the best way to do a taste test on a jam or a jelly?.....
Absolutely... PEANUT BUTTER JELLY(OR JAM) TIME!!! After devouring three sandwiches I gave each one two thumbs up. Its a great jam that spreads easy, is deliciously sweet, and made from only natural ingredients.
Thanks everyone for coming by. It's that time of year(harvesting and gathering), so I have a lot of things like this keeping me busy. I have still managed to recruit some people into Doer- Minnows and am still able to grow our accounts a little each day. But making these food items cuts me a little short on interacting, and for that I am sorry. But I hope you all are having a wonderful week and that you feel and know you are loved.🤗🤗🤗
*All photos taken with my phone
Kyocera Duraforce Pro 2
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I never realised jam making could be so simple! I do rather miss foraging for blackberries in the wild. Back in England we used to have a wild patch across the road from our house and the kids loved to pick them when in season. They had to try and beat the birds to them, though.
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Yeah, there's nothing like going out and finding them...them eating them straight from the bush. When we bring the kids we have a hard time filling the buckets. 😁😁
They look pretty delicious @johndoer I can only have them if I would buy online.
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I love homemade jam!
But it's red not black 😂😂😂 JK
I wish I could have a jar too
The berries look black, but they are really purple in color. And what kind of berries do you all use to make your favorite jam?
Actually we don't have many types of wild berries here😊 but some might find the salmon berry at highland. Strawberry and raspberry. I have chinese mulberry tree in my garden.. not so fruitful.. just 2 or 3.. I eat it once it riped😆 we make jam with pineapple and coconut flesh😊
Pineapple coconut jam hmm. I have never thought of that. I think I'll look up a recipe (unless you have one to share) and give it a try. My favorite jam is Strawberry. 😁 So delicious!!!
Great pictures @johndoer123 I like how you explained the full process you did from hunting for the berries :) to washing them gently and properly without using any type of chemical and how you will be storing your jam and up to how long it can be stored as well. Ever seen that TV series The Legend of Mick Dodge on the National Geographic Channel and how he made his jam :) :) ?
Thanks for stopping in brother. I hope all is well for you and yours. I appreciate your kind words. And I'm glad i did a good job explaining things. And as far as the T.B. show, I don't really watch much and i have today, i have never saw that show in particular. Did he have an interesting way of making it?
Your welcome brother, yes indeed he did in a very funny and weird way too I will try and find the video on YouTube and send you the link one day :)
Wow! so sweet my dear friend can I have some..Perfect to a toasted breed.
If I had a way to send it that didn't cost so much, i would give you as much as you wanted brother.
Will I will take my chances if you would my dear friend @johndoer123 lol!.
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Definitely prefer the wild berries to the store bought ones! Lovely to have a store of them made into that scrumptious looking jam to keep some of that blackberry goodness for the winter! Thanks for sharing! ---
Thanks for swinging through. I wish that was enough for the winter.😁 I don't think it would last a month here. It's really toooo good it not out on pancakes, waffle, PB&J's, ice cream....well you get the point.😁