Blackberry (Jam) Season

Earlier this summer, our friend the master gardener and expert forager next door surprised us with about a gallon of fresh picked wild blackberries.

There were way too many to eat before they went off, so I dusted off some Pomona pectin. It differs from traditional pectin in that it doesn't require as much sugar to set — the flavor of the berries really shines through.

Wild Blackberry + Lavender Jam

Ingredients

• 4 cups mashed blackberries (about 8 cups whole)
• ¼ cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed
• 2 teaspoons calcium water
• ¼ cup local honey
• ¼ cup lavender syrup
• 2 teaspoons Pomona's Pectin powder mixed with sweetener

Instructions

1. Prepare calcium water and sterilise jars in a water bath.

2. Mash blackberries. Add lemon juice and calcium water.

3. Mix pectin powder thoroughly into honey and lavender syrup.

4. Bring fruit to full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring 1–2 min.

5. Fill jars, process 10 minutes. Keeps 1 year sealed.

Chia Seed Jam

• 2 cups fresh or frozen fruit
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1–2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

Heat fruit, mash, stir in chia seeds and lemon juice. Cool 5 minutes. Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze 3 months.