It is the berry time of the year again! Just like for the last 5 years, we made blackberry jam that will last for the whole year and will be enough to give away as presents. Last year we have given out half of what we have made and we still have couple more pint jars left.

Living around a river bed has these unimaginable treats. Everywhere is filled with blackberry bushes! I remember when I first moved here I was driving around to find a nice neighboorhood to settle in, and I came across this blackberry bush that was full of lucious berries. It seemed like noone every touched them, I could not stop myself and picked *some*. That night, I found myself making jam from those berries in the hotel that I was staying (hotel with a kitchenette, one of those long stay types.) Sure enough since then every year I do the same; but in the comfort of our kitchen!

The only `problem’ of this process is to make sure you wear long sleeves and jeans (which is a burden when you do it in summer heat); also you should either wear some type of gloves or bear with the concequences. Also watching out for the snakes; blackberries can be found where water is available, so are the snakes! I guess we all knew these from our childhood, still I could not help but write!

If you do not like the seeds in your jam, you can follow this recipe and strain the fruit from colander after you cook it for a while and then continue boiling; I do not leave this straining process until the end. The finished product is especially really good on the pancakes — we think it beats the Maple Syrup in this context.

I sure will not give you directions using the quantities I made; unless you also want to end up with 22 pint jars.

The basic idea is the same, just like any other jam:

Ingredients:

1. 3 lb of blackberry
2. 2 lb of sugar (more if you prefer sweeter. this seems to be adequate for us)
3. 3 Tbs lemon juice

Steps:

1. Wash and clean the blackberries. Put them in a non-reactive pot (stainless still or nonstick) and cover them with sugar. Leave this at least 6 hours. You can stir it every 30 – 45 mins to get the process going. Once you see the berry juice on the sides of the pot, proceed with the next step
2. Boil the jam for about 20 mins, squeeze the lemon and boil for another 15 mins
3. If you have a sunny spot, consider sunbaking to make sure you get the right consistency (as explained here)
4. Transfer into sterilezed jars (by keeping them in a boiling water), tightly seal them and put them back into the boiling water for another 3 – 4 mins
5. Carefuly put them on a cooling rack or on a towel (double thickness suggested) until they are cool

Next is to try a mixed berry jam, which I am sure will be the same idea to follow but will be different in taste.

Enjoy!

It is easy to find Turkish apricots in American markets, but only the dried ones. In Turkey, they produce 20% of world’s apricot. Whenever I need to buy some in the market, I usually tend to buy those, instead of the local ones.

Last time I was home, my mom gave me the main ingredients of this jam. After I decided to make this jam, I started cutting them into 4 or 6 pieces (depending on how big they were), and when I said to myself “I guess that’s enough” I weighed them and they were 400gr. Next, I put them in a large bowl and covered with water. After 1 – 2 hrs, the water was all absorbed; I added some more. After a while, they do not absorb water, so it is time for a new action! I weighed the apricots (after draining the extra water) and they were now 800gr. So, I guess if you’ll try this recipe, you can start off with 800gr of fresh ones (minus their seeds.)

The following recipe is made with the dried ones…

Ingredients:

1. 400gr dried apricots
2. 800gr sugar
3. 1/2 lemon juice

How to make it:

1. Divide the dried apricots into 4 or 6 pieces
2. Put them in a large bowl and cover with water. After couple of hours, check them and add some more water. I suggest not adding too much water, but enough to swallow, as we’ll add the extra water when boiling the jam, and you do not want it too watery… I kept them in water for 4 hours, if you want, even overnight should be fine



3. Put the apricots and the extra water (in my case it was about 1 cup of water) into a pot where you’ll be cooking the jam and add the sugar as well
4. In medium heat, let the jam cook. Stir once in a while and if you like, collect the foam with a slotted spoon and put in another plate
5. 20 mins after it boils, add the lemon juice and let boil for another 20 mins
6. Probably it still is not the consistency you would like your jam to be, but instead of keep boiling, we’ll “cook” them a bit longer under the sun (this also is a good way to make sure that the jam does not lose its vibrant color):
   Pour the jam into a cooking tray (I prefer a glass baking pan) and cover it with double layer cheesecloth so the fly, bees do not get into it, and also put it into a “water bath” so the ants would not get in, either. There are many ways to ensure it, but let me tell you how I do it: I fill a bigger baking pan with water and put 2 or 3 small bowls upside down into it. They are the “islands” that my jam tray will sit on. Leave the tray under the sun, and depending on the sun level and the heat of the day, you should check on this every couple of hours; stir the top and let it lose more water until it reaches the consistency you are looking for



7. Divide them into sterilized jars, and enjoy!