Blackberry Zinfandel Jam
Not too sweet, great with goat cheese. Cooked in a water bath using Pomona pectin. Makes 4-5 1/2 pint jars.
Not too sweet, great with goat cheese. Cooked in a water bath using Pomona pectin. Makes 4-5 1/2 pint jars.
- Carbohydrate 1.28666666666667 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0588 g
- Fiber 0.636000022888184 g
- Protein 0.170066666666667 g
- Saturated Fat 0.00168 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (23g)
- Sodium 2325.60000668388 mg
- Sugar 0.650666643778483 g
- Trans Fat 0.01788 g
- Calories 9 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash and rinse canning jars. Keep hot.
- Mix pectin powder and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
- Mix berries, wine and calcium water in a non-reactive pan I.e. stainless steel.
- Bring fruit mixture to a boil.
- Add sugar mixture. Return to a boil while stirring constantly over med high heat.
- Remove from heat and fill jars to 1/4 inch from top.
- Process in water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting up 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level.
- Turn off heat and let jars sit in water for 5 minutes.
- Remove and place on towels in a draft free location to cool. Remove bands, check seals and store in a dark cool location.
Standard high-sugar preserving methods rely on massive quantities of sucrose to achieve set, but this formulation uses Pomona’s pectin to gel fruit independently of sugar concentration. Calcium water must be mixed thoroughly with the fruit before the powdered pectin touches the sweetener, otherwise hard lumps will form instead of a smooth spread. Stainless steel pans prevent metallic off-flavors from reacting with the natural acids in the berries and wine during the boil.
Undercooking the sugar-pectin mixture is the primary reason homemade jams fail to set properly. Rolling the boil continuously for one full minute activates the gelling agents fully while dissolving every grain of sugar. Stir constantly over medium-high heat because high sugar content combined with alcohol scorches easily on the bottom of thin pans.
Scaling fruit preserves requires caution because doubling batches alters evaporation rates and gel formation unexpectedly. Work in single batches rather than multiplying quantities blindly to maintain the exact ratio of calcium water to pectin powder specified. Altitude adjustments add one minute of processing time for every one thousand feet above sea level to ensure complete sterilization.
Cooling finished jars requires a draft-free environment protected from cold surfaces that might crack the glass through thermal shock. Remove screw bands after twenty-four hours to check that seals hold securely before storing jars in dark, temperature-stable spaces for up to one year.
