Barberry Spiced Jam Recipes

BARBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Place fully ripened and cleaned fruit into a saucepan and add 2 cups of water.
• Cook the mixture slowly over a medium heat till the fruit softens.
• When cooked through, remove from heat and pass mixture through a fine sieve or strainer to remove the skins and seeds.
• Measure the pulp mixture and place into a saucepan with 1 cup sugar for each cup of pulp.
• Mix well and bring to a boil.
• Hold the boil for 15 minutes while stirring constantly.
• Skim off the foam and pour into hot sterile jelly jars and seal while hot.

SPICED BLUEBERRY JAMMIN'

Steps:

• For the jam: Place blueberries in saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with pectin followed by the anise, nutmeg, lemon juice and vinegar. Once liquid starts to gather in bottom of pan, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower heat slightly and boil gently for five minutes occasionally mashing mixture. Mash in sugar, add the water and return to a boil for 1 minute. You just made jam. Cool, jar, refrigerate and enjoy within 2 weeks. Or, move to the preserving phase. Preserving the jam: Thoroughly wash all hardware in hot soapy water. Then pile everything (excluding the jar lids) into the pot. Cover with hot water by at least 1-inch and bring to a boil and maintain for 10 full minutes to sterilize. Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes then add the lids (waiting will insure that the sealing compound does not melt). Leave all hardware in the pot until you're ready to can.
• Remove the ladle, tongs, funnel and other tools from the pot, (careful please, it's hot in there) to a clean towel or paper towels. Using the jar tongs, remove and drain the jars, placing them on the towel/paper towel surface. (Avoid rock or metal surfaces which could result in thermal shock and breakage.)
• Place the funnel in the first jar (pick it up by the ring, avoiding the sterile interior.) Use the ladle to fill each jar just to the bottom of the funnel, about 1/3-inch from the bottom of the jar threads. This "headspace" is necessary for the jars to seal during processing.
• Wipe the jar rims with a moist paper towel, checking for any cracks or irregularities as you go. Use the magnetized device of your choice to position lids on each jar. Screw the rings on finger tight. (Remember, the rings don't seal the jars they only hold the lids in place. Heat will drive out the headspace air, which when cooled will create a vacuum, thus sealing the jars)
• Return the jars to the pot being certain that they don't touch the bottom of the pot or each other. (If you don't have a jar rack, try a round cake rack, or metal mesh basket. Even a folded kitchen towel on the pot bottom will do in a pinch.) Add additional water if necessary to cover the jars by at least an inch, and bring to a hard boil over high heat according to the table below. (Be sure not to start your timer until a true boil is reached. The headroom air may bubble out of the jars before a boil is reached. Don't be fooled.)
• Processing times: Within 1,000 feet of sea level: 5 minutes 1,000 - 3,000 feet above sea level: 10 minutes 3,001- 6,000 feet above sea level: 15 minutes 6,000 - 8,000 feet above sea level: 20 minutes Above 8,000 feet: wait until you're back down at base camp.
• Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

BARBERRY SPICED JAM

Steps:

• Wash and stem fully ripe berries.
• Make a sauce of the sugar and the diluted vinegar.
• Place the spices in a bag and add to the sauce.
• Bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and cool.
• Then add the berries and heat slowly.
• Simmer till the berries are soft.
• Remove from heat, cover and place into the refrigerator to cool, allowing to remain overnight. Next day remove the spice bag and pour off the sauce.
• Pack the berries into hot, sterile jars.
• Heat the syrup just to the boiling point, then pour the hot sauce over the berries and seal.
• The jars should be allowed to age for 1 month before eating.

SPICED BLACKBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Combine the berries and lemon juice in a heavy 4-qt saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often.
• Stir in the sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon, and allow the mixture to boil to dissolve the sugar.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Boil gently for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 220F (substract 2F degrees for each 1,000 feet above sea level).
• Remove pot from the heat. With a long-handled spoon, stir the jam and skim off any foam that rises to the top.
• Ladle the jam into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch space on top. Place a piece of cinnamon stick in the jam in each jar. Seal the lid according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Cool the jars upright on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
• For longer storage, process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 5 minutes after sealing. Add an additional minute of processing time for each 1,000 feet above sea level.
• Cool on a rack and label. Store the jars in a cool, dry, dark place.

SPICED CRANBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Combine cranberries, white sugar, turbinado sugar, water, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and pepper in a large pot over medium heat. Simmer, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and cranberries pop, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Blend cranberry jam into desired consistency using an immersion blender.
• Pour jam into a glass pint jar; cool until thickened and set, about 1 hour. Seal jar and refrigerate.

SPICY STRAWBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Soak the strawberries in red wine for 10 minutes, then transfer to a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as it starts to boil, add the ginger, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, chile pepper, red pepper flakes, apple cider vinegar and salt. Boil over medium heat, stirring every 10 minutes, until the preserve thickens.
• Remove the chile pepper and cinnamon stick from the preserves. Ladle into clean 1/2 pint jars, wipe rims with a clean cloth or paper towel, and seal with new lids. Store in the refrigerator.

SPICED BLUEBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Remove any stems from berries. Crush fruit 1 layer at a time. Measure 2 1/4 cups, packed solidly, if necessary, add water to make up amount, pour into very large saucepan or dutch oven.
• Add lemon juice, sugar and spices, mixing well. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring 1 minute Remove from heat and immediately stir in pectin.
• Ladle into hot jelly glasses or jars. Water bath can 10 minutes at 1000 feet. Remove from canner, cool and test lids.

BERRY JAM

Steps:

• Toss berries and sugar together in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Let sit for at least 15 minutes and up to overnight, periodically tossing to coat and to dissolve the sugar. (This will help coax the juices out of the fruit.)
• Place a small plate in the refrigerator to chill. (You'll use this later.)
• Bring the fruit to a strong simmer over medium heat until the berries burst and the juices start to boil, about 15 minutes. If using a vanilla bean as an add-in, put it in the pot at this point.
• Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook the jam, at first stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or spatula, then more frequently as the juices thicken. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the fruit has begun to break down, 40 to 50 minutes. How much it breaks down will depend on its type and ripeness: For example, strawberries are likely to retain more of their shape, while raspberries will break down almost entirely.
• As the jam cooks, the liquid will reduce, the sugars thicken and the natural pectins activate. You'll notice the liquid go from a rapid, rolling boil with smaller bubbles to a slow, thick, tarlike boil with larger bubbles: This is the stage at which it's most important to stir constantly along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching and sticking. (Sugar is heavier than water and will concentrate there, increasing the chance that the fruit will burn.) It's also the stage at which splattering may occur, so take care in stirring.
• Once the jam reaches a slow, thick boil, add lemon juice and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the jam returns to its earlier consistency, about another 5 minutes. To test the consistency, spoon a bit of jam onto the chilled plate, return it to the refrigerator and chill for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through it: It should hold its shape on either side without appearing watery or runny. If it's not there yet, cook a few minutes more. (Note: Some fruit, like strawberries, contain more water and less natural pectin than say, a raspberry. This means the jam will never be quite as thick or gelled, but it will still be delicious).
• Remove from heat, and incorporate any of the add-ins listed (see notes). Pick out vanilla bean if you added it earlier. Divide jam between several 8-ounce canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space, and seal immediately. Can the jams (see our How to Make Jam guide for more instruction), or store in the refrigerator, using them within a couple of weeks.