No-Pectin Blackberry Jam

3 pounds blackberries 3 cups granulated sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Have ready a thermometer or place a couple of saucers in the freezer.

In a large pot, combine berries, sugar and lemon juice. Let macerate at least 30 minutes.

While the berries macerate, prepare your jars, lids and water bath canner.

Bring berry mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. When mixture reaches a full, rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, boil, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 220 degrees on a thermometer or gels when tested on a saucer in the freezer.

To test using a saucer in the freezer, place about a teaspoon of jam on the frozen saucer and return it to the freezer for 1 minute. After a minute, push on the jam using your finger. It should wrinkle — like a silk or satin shirt or shar-pei dog. If the mixture does not wrinkle, the jam is not ready. Continue cooking and stirring. The mixture will thicken and look quite glossy. Another clue it is ready is if you can see the bottom of the pot for a brief second when you run a spoon through the mixture. Once the mixture gels and/or reaches 220 degrees it is ready. If a traditional seeded jam is desired, ladle the hot jam into the hot canning jars, top with lids and screw bands. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Remove canner lid and let jars stand for 5 minutes. Remove jars to a towel-lined counter and let stand undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals and store. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal. If a smoother, less seedy jam is desired, pass mixture through a medium-sieve or conical strainer, but don’t discard the pulp — it still has plenty of flavor to give. Give the strained jam a good stir and ladle into jars and proceed as above. Makes 2 (½-pint) jars seedless jam or 5 (½-pint) jars seeded jam.

Recipe based on a recipe for Universal Jam in The New Homemade Kitchen by Joseph Shuldiner

The discarded seed pulp can be made into a delicious blackberry syrup ideal for mixed drinks, waffles, cakes and other desserts.