Blackberry preserves

Name: Blackberry preserves
Ingredients: 3 kg blackberries; 500 ml water; 1500 g sugar; 1/2 small lemon (25 g)

Jam - Blackberry preserves by Anisoara A. - Recipia

Blackberry preserves for winter are cooked in sugar syrup, with the berries kept as whole as possible. The syrup thickens as it cooks, and the small lemon slices stay among the blackberries; I spread it thinly on toast, so you can taste the bread and still have a few whole berries on your spoon. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 88 minutes. Resting: 12 hours. Total time: 14 hours and 48 minutes. Servings: 40. Approximately 178 kcal and 1 g of protein per serving.

Ingredients

3 kg blackberries
500 ml water
1500 g sugar
1/2 small lemon (25 g)

Preparation

1. Rinse the blackberries in cold water, taking care not to crush them, then leave them to drain in a sieve. 2. Put the water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot, preferably cast iron. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon; once the syrup starts to boil, cook for another 20 minutes. 3. Add the blackberries and stir gently. Cook over low to medium heat for 60 minutes, stirring from time to time; the berries soften and the syrup turns dark. 4. Cut the lemon into small slices and add it to the pot. Cook for another 8 minutes, then turn off the heat. 5. Pour the hot preserves into small, washed and dried jars. Screw the lids on tightly, wrap the jars in a blanket and leave them until the next day, then move them to a cool place.

Notes

Choose ripe but still firm blackberries; very soft ones fall apart easily in the pot. A heavy-bottomed cast-iron pot keeps the simmer gentler than a thin one, which is useful when you have 3 kg of fruit. The syrup is the part many people cut short, even though stirring it over low heat takes the full 20 minutes. If the berries are very juicy, the syrup may remain thinner after cooling; don't keep it on the heat much longer than the stated time, because the blackberries will soften. Keep sealed jars in a cool place, and once opened, keep the jar in the refrigerator. In texture, these preserves are closer to whole fruit in syrup than to compote; a thin layer is enough on toast.