Jam without preservatives

Updated on the 10th Nov 2022

We go on a walk in the countryside and pick up some berries. Some blackberries, rosehips, damsons... whatever is available and is edible and safe to be eaten by humans. Just know that very ripe berries seem to have no pectin left and make a very liquidy jam, which is not ideal. You can decide to separate the berries individually, or mix them all.

Wash the wild berries well and remove any leaves, twigs, damaged berries and insects that might be there.

Then, add them to a pan and add the sugar of your choice. There are many options in the shops. It all depends on what you like, what you can afford, and your dietary requirements. I never add to much sugar because I do not want a jam that is super sweet.

Then, take the pan to the stove and let it cook slowly for a bit until it looks like a soup. I do not like the bits of the berries in my jams, so I always sieve the mixture at this stage. I press it down with a ladle in the sieve to extract as much goodness as possible.

Then, return the mixture to the stove, stirring frequently, and waiting until it starts to get sticky. If you like it runny, stop early, if you like it more sticky let it cook a bit longer. Then, take the pan off the stove and add a spoon of honey, and a bit of lemon juice, stir and pour into sterilised jars.

Close the jars thightly and turn them upside down to seal the lid.

To avoid the jam getting spoiled, I keep them in the fridge but you can keep them in a cupboard, assuming that your jars are properly sterilised, and the room where the jars are kept is not too warm.

Very tasty with home made bread, or any bread of your choice.