The other week I noticed that the wild blackberries in my local forest were ripe for picking, so on my next walk I took a container with me and picked as many as I could fit in. I thought about what I could make with them, and set my mind to this Romanian wild blackberry jam recipe. In Romania we have two types of jam: one that looks more like a marmalade and it’s easy to spread on bread, and another one, which we call “dulceata”, which contains the entire fruits and has a more runny consistency. This recipe is the latter, the “Blackberry dulceata”.
Growing up, making jam was a normal activity in autumn. I remember trays and trays of fruits all over the kitchen, and the unbearable heat of the giant pots boiling over the fire, starting early September. Every weekend in autumn the kitchen was the scene of a different jam or pickle operation, all made to last for the winter.
Compared to the plum or strawberry jam, this recipe of wild blackberries jam doesn’t need to boil for hours. It takes exactly five minutes to boil, so you don’t have to worry about getting too hot in the kitchen. This is a summer recipe.
Ingredients for the Wild Blackberry Jam Recipe
You don’t need many ingredients to make this wild blackberry jam recipe. The main ingredients are the fruits, sugar and lemon juice. You can also add vanilla essence if you wish, but I don’t think it’s necessary.
One kilogram of blackberries is enough to fill an 840 gram jar.
How to Make Romanian Blackberry Jam
As we are cooking with wild blackberries, the first step into making this jam recipe is to wash and disinfect them. I picked my blackberries from the forest and whilst I know there aren’t any roads nearby that could pollute them, there are still bugs and animals around, so I wanted to make sure that the fruits are as clean as they can be.
To clean the fruits, I added one tablespoon of vinegar to a bowl of water, and submerged the fruits in it. I let them soak for around one hour – though after 15-20 minutes they should be already clean.
The next step was the rinse and pat dry the blackberries with a kitchen towel. I put them in a dry bowl, and added half of the sugar on top, letting them macerate for two more hours.
Meanwhile, I sterilised the jars, a process which I explained below.
Now, let’s make wild blackberry jam! In a pot with a thick bottom add the macerated blackberries and the rest of the sugar, over a medium heat. When the sugar dissolves, add the lemon juice. When the mix reaches the boiling point, let it boil for exactly 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off and do the set test, which I will explain below. If the jam sets, then it is ready. If not, boil for a couple of more minutes, then test again.
Fill the jars with the blackberry jam, put the lid on, and turn upside down. Allow them to cool down completely before storing.
The Set Test
It wouldn’t be jam if the liquid would not set. But you can’t tell just by looking at the mixture boiling if it’s going to set or not.
The easiest way to test the jam is by dripping a few individual drops of jam on a plate. Leave it for two minutes, and then turn the plate on its side. If the jam stays where it is or only moves a little bit, very slowly, it’s going to set, and it is ready. If it runs like a drop of water after two minutes, it needs more boiling.
As the blackberry jam is a very quick confiture to make, the chances of it not setting are very slim.
Sterilising the Jars
A very important step in making jam is the sterilisation of the jars. It may sound like a complicated operation, but it’s really not. The first step is to wash the jars very well, with hot water and dishwashing liquid. Then, arrange them inside a metal tray, and put them inside the cold oven. Turn the temperature to 150 degrees Celsius, and wait for around 15 minutes, for the water droplets to evaporate off the jars. When this happens, they are ready. Turn the heat off, crack open the oven door, and let the jars cool down for around 30 minutes.
To sterilise the lids, you can either put them inside the oven with the jars, or boil for 10 minutes at over 100 degrees Celsius.
Don’t put the hot jam inside hot jars, as they will crack.
When you put the jam in the jars, make sure to have them sat on stainless steel knives, which absorb the temperature shock and prevent the jars from breaking.
Notes and Tips:
- When it comes to jam, usually the quantity of sugar equals the quantity of fruit. I chose to lower the amount of sugar because I didn’t want this jam to be extra sweet. I found that with less sugar it is more pleasant, and maintains that slight tanginess of the wild blackberries.
- Don’t skip the sterilisation of the jars or you risk your jam getting mouldy and not preserving properly.
Wild blackberry jam recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg blackberries
- 700 gr caster sugar
- juice from one lemon
Instructions
- Leave the wild blackberries to soak in a bowl with water and vinegar for one hour.
- Drain the blackberries, rinse them, and pat them try with a kitchen towel.
- Add half of the sugar over the blackberries, and let them rest for 2 hours.
- Everyone has their own method of preparing the jars. Either way, you must know that you have to sanitise them. My method is simple, in the oven.
- First wash the jars very well with hot water and dish soap. Put the jars in a baking tray and put it in the cold oven. Set the temperature to 150C Celsius and wait for around 15 minutes. Once the water has evaporated from the jars, they are ready. Turn the heat off and leave the oven door cracked, to cool down. When they are cold, they are ready to be filled.
- The lids might get damaged in the oven, so the best way to sterilise them is through boiling them at over 100 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
- Whilst the jars cool down (will take 30 minutes or so), put the blackberries and all the sugar in a pot with a thick bottom.
- Mix gently until all the sugar dissolves, and the composition starts to warm up.
- Add the lemon juice and mix gently again.
- When the blackberries and sugar come to boil, set a timer for 5 minutes and let it bubble.
- Take the pot off the heat and test try the setting of the jam.
- To do this, add a few droplets of jam on a clean plate. Wait for a couple of minutes and turn the plate on its side. If the jam barely moves, then it is ready and it will set. If not, boil it for one more minute or two and then repeat the test.
- Make sure to add a stainless steel knife underneath each jar – this is to prevent the jars from breaking when you add the hot liquid inside.
- Pour the jam inside each jar, put the lid on, and turn upside down, letting the jam cool down.
- When the jam is completely cooled, you can store it in your pantry or in a dark and cool place. In Romania we have basements which act like pantries, where we usually store jams and pickles.
FAQ:
How long does the blackberry jam last for?
If stored correctly, the blackberry jam can last for years. Once you open a jar, you have to put it in the fridge and consume it in a relatively short time. The exposure to oxygen and improper storage will increase the development of mould inside the jar.
What can you use the wild blackberry jam for?
You can use the blackberry jam in many different ways. The classic one is on toast, on top of butter. In Romania we use jam to serve the traditional papanasi dessert, or as a fillings for pancakes. Recently, there are many cocktail recipes that ask for jam as well. Due to its versatility, you can even use the wild blackberry jam in salad dressings too. Not to mention as a yogurt topper, in cakes, on oatmeal and porridge, on cheese boards, and even in savoury barbecue recipes.
For more Romanian fruit desserts, check out my recommendations below:
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