EASY BLACKBERRY & APPLE JAM
NB: This Easy Blackberry & Apple Jam recipe has been one of my top 2 jam posts over the years and really did deserve a re-shoot so here is the original post but with the addition of new photographs!
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 harvest. 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 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. I was so pleased to then find a recipe in “The Classic 1000 Recipes” book (Foulsham) where the fruits were boiled in the same pan and so 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.
For more preserve recipes using blackberries you might like:
Blackberry & Raspberry Jam – Fab Food 4 All
Easy Blackberry Curd – Fab Food 4 All
Tutti Frutti Jam – Fab Food 4 All
Traditional Blackberry Jam – All Recipes
Why not pin 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 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.
Recipe Notes
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.
Made jam today turned out perfect thank you when can I start using it x
Hi Caroline, so pleased you like it, you can use it as soon as it has cooled down:-)
just made this from the fruit in my garden and it came out perfect. Thank you
Excellent Paul, thank you for letting me know:-)
My batch was WAY too sweet. Added all the lemon juice I happened to have in the house but still too sweet. I’d recommend adding sugar to taste rather than the recipe amount all at once.
We all have different abilities to taste which I found out when I became a “taste tester” at Birds Eye Wall’s (not my job but just an add on) so by all means sweeten to your liking. I like it the way it is and have not had any negative feedback from family who would let me know if they found fault.
My jam hasn’t set, followed recipe religiously.
Hi Lynn, did you repeat the plate test until you got a crinkle?
How did u get such a dark color for your jam?mine is quite pink.
That is odd, it’s always the colour of the blackberries when I make it. Can’t understand where the pink would come from? Did you use more apple?
Thankyou for the recipe how long is the shelf life for the jam please?
Hi Jenny, it will keep in a cool, dark place for a year but jam can last years. Once opened it should be kept in the fridge and eaten within about 3 months or so.