The Warmth of the Sun: Blackberry jelly
The signs are undeniable: lights go on at 7:45, parked cars line the side streets, Stadium High School looses football games, those darn horse-chestnut trees drop ankle-breaking nuts, and leaves pile up in the garage. Last week I could no longer pretend that summer (in Puget Sound all two weeks of it) would go on forever. Three events always occur at the end of August: I make blackberry jelly, aphids cover the nasturtiums, and we go to our annual Labor Day food fest.
Last week I ferried to Vashon to meet up with Nikki and Ginny to pick blackberries. I know for certain that summer is over when I drive up the Rock's West Side Highway, past tall grasses gone to seed, the very slight haze of cool mornings, and trees starting to droop from the lack of rain. The smells of the changing season are also in the air: the sweet promise of ripe blackberries, the briny slap of a low tide, and the faint whiff of a forbidden burn pile.
Ginny knew a good spot far away from any traffic and we pulled up at the side of the road, leaving a dust trail behind us. The sun was warm on our necks as we picked, the silence broken occasionally by the cursing directed at those miserable thorns. Ginny was in the trenches up to her waist in prickles as she cut berry-packed branches and flung them up on the road for the weenie ones (Nikki and I) to pluck. Before long, we had four buckets full, plenty for jelly, pie, and incidental munching.
Berry picking leaves its mark. Every year I send a shirt to the berry-picking pile stained with a mingle of blood and indelible juice. Fingers are purple for days, finger nails don't recover until Christmas. But that's little to pay for six (only six!) sparkling, deep purple jars all lined up on the counter. I always feel very self-reliant.
Anyways, blackberry jelly is once again on the menu, today we drive to Seabeck for an adventure in food (more on that later), and tomorrow I'll pull up the nasturtiums. Time to give up and get ready for winter.
| Blackberry Jelly Yields 6 small jelly jars |
| 1 ½ large Nancy’s yogurt container of blackberries 4 ½ c. sugar (yes, that much, but we’ll talk later) 1 box Sure Jell pectin |
| Rinse berries a couple times to rid them of the berry fur and grainy stuff. Using large stainless steel or porcelain (no aluminum) pot add berries and 1 c. water. Bring berries/water to simmer, turn off heat. Smash berries w/wooden mallet or potato masher. Drape cheesecloth in strainer and drain overnight. The crushed berries need to yield 3 ¾ c. berry juice, so add water if you need to. Measure berry juice into 6-8 qt. saucepot. Do Not Use a Small Pot! Once you add the sugar and bring to a boil, the overflow in a small pot can be disastrous. Measure sugar into a separate bowl. I know that’s a lot of sugar and there is pectin you can use for reduced-sugar recipes, but I figure if you’re going to eat jelly, eat jelly. Stir box of pectin into blackberry juice and bring mixture to a full, rolling boil. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to full rolling boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Here’s where you’ll be glad you dug around for that large pot.Remove from heat. Skim off foam and immediately ladle into jars.
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Categories: Canning and Preserving, Breakfast, American
Tags: Vashon blackberry jelly
What a timely blog! I canned my first ever tomatoes last week and was thrilled with myself. I threw Ansley, a friend of hers and myself along with a few strawberry pails into the car last week and went tomatoe picking at a commercial farm that opens to the public after their season is complete. Needless to sa
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