Mother's Day Blackberry Jam

     So my mom is a big fan of blackberry jam, but even more so when it is made from scratch. I just happen to have the Ball FreshTech Automatic Jam&Jelly Maker. I've had it for almost a year and I LOVE it! I made a bunch for family for Christmas and it went over pretty well, so I decided to make my mom's favorite for Mother's Day.

This machine is seriously my best friend. There is no sitting around babysitting and stirring while cooking the jam. Just a few easy steps and you have yourself some fresh jam.    

First wash your chosen fruit and crush it with a potato masher.

Sprinkle pectin evenly over the bottom of the pot and then add the crushed fruit evenly over the pectin.

Add butter to help reduce foaming.

Press the jam button (which will set the timer to 21 minutes) and then press enter.

Wait 4 minutes for the appliance to sound 4 beeps, which signals the time to add the sugar.
Slowly add the sugar as the stirrer keeps running. Put the lid back on and let it finish the cooking cycle.
Once cooking is complete, press cancel on the front of the machine, unplug the appliance,
and remove the glass lid. Remove the stirrer, using a pot holder.
Skim foam, if necessary, from the top of the jam.

Preserve immediately using one of 3 methods:
1. Enjoy now: Ladle into hot jars and allow to cool to room temperature. Place lids and bands
on jars, then label. This is good for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

2. Freeze: Repeat steps for enjoy now, leaving 1/2" headspace. Good for up to 1 year.

3. Preserve and store: While jam is cooking filler canner/stockpot half full with water.
Place lid on canner and heat to a simmer. Make sure jars, lids, and bands are washed in hot
soapy water and rinsed well. Heat the jars in your canner to avoid breakage when filling.
Ladle jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe jam/jelly from the rims of the jars
and center lids on jars. Twist on the bands until fingertip tight. Place the jars in a canning
rack inside the canner and ensure they are covered by 1-2" of water. Place lid on canner
and bring water to a gentle, steady boil. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes,
adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, and let jars stand for 5 minutes.
Remove jars from water and cool. Check for seal after 12-24 hours. 

The front 4 were preserved, while the back 2 were prepared using method number 1.

     My mom really enjoyed the jam and it is so simple to make. It leads to such a feeling of accomplishment that I made something myself, even if I could just go to a store and pick it up. I can't wait until I have my own homegrown fruit to make the jam with! I think I am going to make strawberry next month for my dad. 

    Here is a link to the full recipe for the jam I made: http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipes/jam-maker/berry-jam.