Jam Making....check!!!

Still catching up....

Wednesday this week brought us both ends of the spectrum.  On one end, a bit of anxiety and pain, on the other productivity and healing.  No worries....it's just that Ickey had to visit her dentist and they had to do several procedures on her which means she had to be sedated.  I know there will be a lot of mixed reactions to that and believe me, I still have mixed reactions to it myself but it was necessary for the treatment she needed and despite my mom anxieties, she came out like it was nothing so everything seems ok...for now.

I kept her home for the rest of the day, resting and healing, making sure the dentists orders were followed and gave the girls all the Kipper episodes they could handle...just for today, of course. 

And since they were resting,  I made progress with my to do list, cleaning and getting some things done. One that needed my immediate attention is the Blackberries that needed to be jammed before they pass their prime.  I already did my research and since this was going to be my first batch, I was understandably hesitant and took time checking each step twice. I used this recipe, using all organic ingredients.

Sterilized my jars by boiling and taking them out the same time that the jam was ready so that the jars were still hot when they received the jam. That part of the process got quite messy (ah, note to self....canning funnel) but the results were worth it when I heard the popping sounds of the lids that told me the seals were working.

I was able to make 4 jars out of my 6 cups of blackberries (3 small, 1 big)....not bad for a newbie.  However, I found out soon enough what my mistakes were....

• First, I overcooked it.  It's jam alright but it is stiff and very difficult to spread.  So next time I need to lessen my cooking time.
• Too sweet!!!  The recipe called for 6 cups of sugar!!! I did not have 6 cups of blackberries after I strained the seeds out.  I should have match the new amount with the sugar.
• Probably need to add more orange juice for added tartness.

Otherwise, it's gratifying to see that it's not a difficult process at all.  I have the rest of the summer to do more canning.  I'm hoping to stock up on tomato sauce and maybe even make some strawberry jam as well.