Mixed Berry Jam - No Pectin

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Summer is the best time to make a mixed berry jam when blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries are in abundance. This mixed berry jam without pectin is made the old fashion way - all natural using a variety of these berries. It is also commonly known as bumbleberry jam. A must try jam if you love berries.

I grew up calling this jam a mixed berry jam because that's what it is - a jam made with mixed berries. A few years ago, an American friend mentioned to me that this is called a bumbleberry jam. I always thought bumbleberry is a berry on its own. After checking online, I do see that yes, there are many recipes for bumbleberry jam using mixed berries as a base. I learned something new. Of course, I still call it a mixed berry jam.

So, what is a bumbleberry Jam?

What is a Bumbleberry? Do they grow in bumble bushes? Are they like other berries? Actually, bumbleberry is a mixture of at least three different berries mostly raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries because they are in season all at the same time.

Why have one berry, when you can make a jam with mixed berries, right? Today I have used a combination of all four because I had them all. So, yes this is a four berry jam recipe. The strawberry season is almost at the end when raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries come in season here.

How to make homemade jam

I know that we usually give long recipes for jam which makes it look so complicated. The truth is that if you do not can the jam, the process of making jam takes as little as 20 minutes, from start to finish. You will be surprised how easy it is to make homemade jam.

• Add fruit, sugar, and lemon juice in a heavy bottom saucepan.
• Heat on medium until the sugar dissolves.
• Bring to a rapid boil for two minutes.
• Then reduce heat and cook on a low simmer until jam is set (approximately 20 minutes).
• Remove from heat and pour in sterilized jam jars.
• Can jar for long-time storage or cool and then place in the fridge.

No time to jam?

Often I will buy the fruits to make jam and just not have those 20 minutes for actually making it. Either because I'm busy on a cake decorating order, or I'm busy with the kids. Here's what I do and I hope you will also find it useful.

• Wash, drain and pat dry the fruit.
• Place the fruit, sugar and lemon juice in a glass or plastic bowl. Cover and leave for up to two days in the fridge.
  The fruits macerate with the sugar and lemon juice and become even more delicious.
• If you think it's going to be longer than two days, place the fruit in a freezer bag and into the freezer until you are ready to make jam. They will be a big block when you take it out but it will still be perfect for making jam.
• You do not need to thaw the fruit. Just add the sugar and lemon and continue with jam making.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Mixed berries - Use fresh plump sweet berries in season or frozen berries. Both work beautifully with this recipe. You can use a variety of three, and yet I have used four: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries, and all in equal proportions.
  You can use different proportions and it will reflect in the taste and color of the jam. For example, more blueberries and blackberries will give a darker shade of blue and a little more tart. While more raspberries or strawberries will give a lighter shared of blue and a little sweeter.
• Sugar - Unlike commercial jams, I like to use less sugar - which is usually half the quantity of fruit. If I have 1 kg of fruit I usually add 500 grams of sugar. So, my jam is more fruity rather than just sugary sweet. But if you like it sweet you can add more. Most commercial jams are made with ¾ amount of sugar in this case 750 grams.
• Lemon Juice - Mixed berries are naturally sweet, so the lemon really helps bring out and enhance their sweetness. It also helps prevent crystallization. Lemons also have a lot of natural pectins.

Step by step instructions (Save/Pin)

Short video

Start the jam

• Lightly wash and drain the berries. Discard any that may not be good.
• Pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Place mixed berries in a deep heavy-bottom pan.
• Add sugar and lemon Juice.

Cook jam

• Place on medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Then use a potato masher to mash the mixed berries.
• Bring the mixture to a rapid boil. Let boil for two minutes.
• Then, turn the heat to medium-low. The mixture should still be simmering but slow.
• Let simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place two ceramic plates in the freezer. (for testing the jam below).
• After about 15 minutes, you will see the mixture has darkened, thickened and reduced.
• Remove one of the plates from the freezer.

Testing the jam

• Place a small amount of the mixture on the place. The cold plate will help cool the mixture and give you a good indication if the jam is ready.
• You may need to do this once or a couple of times depending on how soon you start checking.
• The jam is done if the blob of mixture you placed on the plate wrinkles when you touch it with your fingers.
• If using a candy thermometer - the jam should reach 105 C / 220 F.
• Let the jam cool for about 20 mins before you pour it into a warm sterilized jar leaving ¼ inch of the top.
• Use a clean sterilized knife or spatula to move the jam a bit - this will remove any air pockets.
• Clean the rim of the jar with a clean paper towel.
• Top the lid and screw on rings (that come with the canning jars).
• Place a piece of wax paper on the top before you place the lid on tightly.

The canning process (optional)

Sterilizing

• Sterilize four 250 g jars by washing them in hot soapy water or place them in the dishwasher in a gentle cycle.
• Place them in the oven for 20 minutes at 140C, this will dry any excess moisture in the bottles.
• Leave them in the oven until you are ready to use (you can turn the oven off).
• Don't forget to wash and sterilize the bottle lids as well.

Canning

• Place a rack on the bottom of a large stockpot.
• Fill half the pot with water.
• Pour the jam into the hot sterilized jar as explained above and close the lid.
• Bring the water in the pot to a boil on high heat.
• Lower the jars over the rack leaving enough space between the jas.
• The level of water should be at least an inch above the top of the jars. So, if necessary pour more boiling water.
• Bring the water to a boil again. Cover the pot and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place them on a kitchen towel to absorb any excess moisture.
• Let cool completely.
• Press the top of the lid to ensure the seal is tight - the lid should not move at all.
• Store in a cool dry place.

Storage

• When canning, the canned jam will stay in a cool dry place in the pantry for up to a year or more.
• When not canned, the jam will stay at room temperature for a month or more in good weather.
• You can also keep the jam in the fridge for 3 to 6 months.
• Label the jar with the name and date so you know what is in and when you made it.

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Frequently asked questions

Bumbleberry jam from frozen berries

Since I don't can my jams I rely on making them fresh during the year. Mixed berry jam is my personal favorite.
When I lived in Singapore we didn't get fresh berries so easily but frozen was very affordable. And since I'm not a big fan of commercial jams that are overly sweet I would make my mixed berry jam from frozen berries. In fact, I would make a delicious raspberry jam with frozen raspberries too. You don't need to thaw the fruit and the frozen berries soften very quickly in jam.

Low-sugar bumbleberry jam

Ideally, a traditional jam recipe made by most of our grandmothers will call for one part fruit with two parts of sugar. Commercially you probably find they use three parts sugar with one part fruit with added pectin so they get more quantity and more money for their fruit. Which is why making homemade jams will always be the best.

I've always used less sugar, as you can see in this recipe below. I have one part of the fruit and only half part sugar. And yet, I can tell you that this jam is the best jam you will ever eat. Why? Because it's bursting with fruit goodness and not loaded with sugar. My kids love jams and while I don't encourage them eating outta the jar, guess what? I'm often tempted to do the same myself.

Mixed-berry jam without sugar

Sugar helps the creation of pectin which makes our jam. But what if you can't have sugar? Or you don't want to eat sugar? You can still make a mixed berry jam. Here's how.

First, pick the naturally sweetest berries you can find from the market. Use fewer tart berries like blueberries and more sweeter berries like strawberries.

Forget everything you read about pectin and buy a box of natural pectin. These are available in most supermarkets. And grab some fresh lemon juice.

• The formula is pretty simple and it belongs to my mom -  For every one cup of fruit, you will need 1 tbsp pectin and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
• For example in this case - 3 cups berries + 3 tbsp pectin + 3 tbsp lemon juice.
• Bring it to a boil and slow cook just as we do below for our regular jam.

If you ever find you need to add some sweetness, add a little of agave syrup or honey to the jam just before you take it off the heat. This will sweeten it a bit. I use to make no sugar jams for a friend of my mom long ago because she was diabetic. She really loved jams so it was something she really enjoyed for breakfast every day.

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