So popular, my Easy Blackberry & Apple Jam is simple to make, utterly delicious and made with no added pectin. It’s also uses just one pot unlike some recipes.Once you tasted this amazing jam you’ll be foraging for blackberries every year just to make it!
I recently went out foraging for apples and blackberries locally and although the apples weren’t up to much the blackberries were fab if a little difficult to pick.
Long sleeves, trousers, socks and a stick are must haves if you don’t want to get scratched and stung and another time I would bring gardening gloves too.It took me over an hour to gather just 600 g as I think I’m not the only forager locally!
This weekend I went to a car boot sale at a local farm where I managed to pick the same amount in about 20 minutes so it really is about being in the right place at the right time.
I could have come home and made a blackberry and apple crumble or some such dessert but that would have put all my hard work to such a quick and frivolous use.
No, it had to be Blackberry & Apple or Bramble Jam to preserve the fruits of my labours so to speak. If I’m honest I do think I’ve fallen in love with jam making and if you’ve not tried it yet then I can’t recommend it highly enough. #
I haven’t had one disaster with jam making which I can’t say for many other areas of cooking!
I researched various recipes and found that most of them wanted the blackberries and apples cooked separately which after spending so long picking the fruit seemed like an exercise I didn’t want to go through.
So I was pleased to then find a recipe in “The Classic 1000 Recipes” book (Foulsham) where the fruits were boiled in the same pan.
Hence I adapted this recipe and gave some flesh to the bones of the method to make my Easy Blackberry & Apple Jam!
My family loved this jam and even my pip hating husband did too. I think it tasted all the better for having foraged the blackberries and we have enough jars to take us into the winter as I made 6 jars of varying sizes.
As usual just before you start jam making just wash your jars and lids in hot soapy water, fill with boiling water, empty and then pop in the oven for 20 mins at 120°C and leave in there until your jam is ready.
More blackberry & foraged fruit preserve recipes:
- Easy Seedless Blackberry Jam
- Blackberry & Apple Jelly
- Blackberry & Raspberry Jam
- Easy Blackberry Curd
- Tutti Frutti Jam
- Traditional Blackberry Jam
- Simple Elderberry Jam
I know you’ll love this Easy Blackberry & Apple Jam as much as I do. Don’t forget to tag @FabFood4All when you make it as I love seeing my recipes come to life!
Pin my Easy Blackberry & Apple Jam for later!
Easy Blackberry & Apple Jam
Ingredients
- 600 g Blackberries washed & drained
- 500 g Bramley apples peeled, cored and cut into berry sized chunks
- 1.1 kg Granulated sugar
- 300 ml Water
- 10 g Butter
Instructions
- Put the water and apple chunks in a preserving pan (or similar) and simmer gently until soft (about 5 mins).
- Add the blackberries, bring to the boil and simmer until soft (about 15 – 20 mins).
- Add the sugar off the heat stirring to dissolve the crystals.
- Heat the pan gently to ensure all the sugar dissolves, then boil rapidly for 10 mins stirring regularly.
- Take off the heat and test a large drop of jam on a chilled saucer and if it crinkles after a couple of mins it’s ready.
- If not boil for another 2 mins and repeat test until ready.
- Remove excess scum with a slotted spoon and then stir in the butter to remove the rest.
- Ladle into sterilised jars. Makes 1.8 kg.
Bridget
Hi,
Just going to try your recipe, I am not a great jam lover unlike my husband who has it on toast every day. So now that we have retired and of course COVID we are making our own. This jam brings back childhood memories so we decided to try it. Do you need the butter and why.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks
Bridget
Camilla
Hi Bridget, the butter is to break down the foam that can appear after boiling the jam or you could just skim it off with a metal spoon. Sometimes you get it on jam and other times you don’t. If you don’t like the idea of using butter you don’t have to.
Bryan
What kind of shelf life will the jam have ? First time making this jam ,well any kind of jam ! I think it came out pretty good because of the great recipe . Thank you !!
Bryan
Camilla
Awesome Bryan, so glad you like the recipe and had success on your first go. All my jams are best for quality in the first year but are safe to eat for many years as the sugar acts as a preservative. Just ensure you keep it in a cool, dark, dry place and once open, keep in the fridge where it will keep for many months:-)
Hazel
Glad you corrected the kids/lids typo … coz my kids were not happy when I suggested it
Camilla
I didn’t do a typo, someone in the comments left a typo. Hence my comment about rushing to look and not seeing one.
Debbie
Hi, silly question…is that 500g of apples AFTER peeling and coring (so will need more than 500g unpeeled?)
I made my first blackberry jam last year with jam sugar & a thermometer as I couldn’t get the saucer/wrinkle trick to work for me. However, the jam ended up too thick after it had set….any advice?
Many thanks!
Debbie
Camilla
Hi Debbie, not a silly question, that is the weight you need and then peel etc. I only ever used jam sugar once and I so disliked the stiff set that it gave that I never used it again. You certainly wouldn’t even need it for any jam containing apples as they are high in pectin. You only use additional pectin/jam sugar for low pectin fruits. I use lemon juice instead which aids the gel formation when using low pectin fruits. You can use a digital thermometer as an aid but I would still do the plate test as you can’t rely on temperature alone (105C).
Debbie
Hi Camilla – many thanks for the advice – wish me luck as I’m going to give it a go later! I’ll keep you posted on my success. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Debbie
Camilla
No worries Debbie, happy jam making:-) Just been making Elderberry Jam here this afternoon:-)
Cathy
Would I need to use pectin if I were to reduce the sugar?
Camilla
How much sugar are your thinking of ditching?
Sian
I have a huge amount of eating apples, would they do instead of cooking apples? Also, do you put the kids in the oven too to sterilise? Thanks!
Camilla
Hi Sian, it would drastically change the recipe as you’d need to cook the apples for longer in order for them to soften (cooking apples go mushy). Plus eating apples are really sweet where as cookers are sour so you’d need to reduce the amount of sugar by say 300g at a guess, maybe more? This would affect to overall cooking time so probably best to use a digital thermometer and test from 104C for set. Good luck!
Lauren Fortuin
Lol at kids in the oven assuming you meant lids
Camilla
Gosh, you had me rushing to the recipe thinking I’d done the typo. Just realised I hadn’t answered that question. The answer is no the lids dunked in boiling water or pour it over the insides and left to drain. If they’re still wet just put in the oven once the jars have finished their time and leave just the fan running to thoroughly dry.
Zimera
Just waiting for mine to set! So excited!
How long will these last unopened?
Camilla
Ooh, lucky you, I love this jam:-) I always say jams are best eaten in the first year (kept in a cool dark place) but they can last years as the sugar is a really efficient at preserving.
Leanne
Hi first time making jam here, do I ladle the jam into hot jars and tighten the lids straight away? Should I use a wax disc also? Many thanks
Camilla
Hi Leanne, yes hot jam, into hot jars and seal immediately. That will give you the vacuum/seal as the jam cools. No wax disc needed.