Small Batch Blackberry Jam

blackberries,
sweetbitter
prickly on the tongue
and they taste a bit like wine.
i roll my sleeves. hair gets pinned back.
i wash, tumbledry
some burst in my fingers.
this is fine; they’re destined for jam.
with a bit of lemon
some sugar
rogue splatters, inky purples.
bubbling, spitting, hissing
jam begins to gather on the spoon
it’s ready when it quivers, holds together
and i jar it, let it cool
and then slather it over heavily buttered toast.
ahhh summer.

Yields: around 1 cup of jam (the recipe doubles easily)

Lightly adapted from The Homemade Kitchen

Why I love this recipe: this recipe requires no special canning equipment or pectin, and relies on just the natural thickening powers of the blackberries and sugar. A little bit of fresh lemon and vanilla bean seeds scent the sugar and the jam, leaving it otherwise purely blackberry. 

Variations: use 1 pound of any other berry in place of the blackberries. Instead of using sugar, use honey.

Notes: this jam lasts for two to three weeks in the fridge, but no longer. If you like a citrusy jam, add the juice of 1/2 a lemon to the jam and stir it in before canning.

For the jam:

• 1 lb. blackberries, washed and dried
• 1/4 cup sugar
• seeds of 1/2 a vanilla bean, rubbed into the sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Place the fruit and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed pot and set over medium heat.
2. Bring to a low boil, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to medium low.
3. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until the fruit breaks up into a saucy mash, around 10-15 minutes.
4. Uncover the pot and stir in the sugar.
5. Raise the heat to medium and continue to cook, uncovered, (stirring often to prevent the jam from burning on the bottom) until the sauce thickens into a jam, around 15 minutes.
6. Adjust sweetness if desired, and let cool before storing in a jar.