Lemon Blackberry Jam

There has been a lot of talk of jam lately. I, personally, had never made jam before and... to be honest... the task seemed daunting. Also, I have always considered pectin "yucky." Things changed yesterday. I have been reading a bit about jam making and found a few recipes that require zero pectin (score!) and then I noticed my dear friend Susan of She's Becoming Doughmesstic (note: she is a contributor on this blog) recently made jam. Could it be that simple? She made it seem like nothing. Did I dare try? I did! I did dare! The result... fabulous, dark, not overly sweet, delicious lemon blackberry jam.

4C blackberries
3/4C sugar
3/4C lemon sugar (see below)
1/4t almond oil
1/2t vanilla

Process berries in a food processor until crushed but not completely pulverized. Combine sugars and berries in a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens (approx. 5 minutes), stirring frequently and remove from heat. Add oil and vanilla and mix well. Divide mixture among desired jars and turn upside down, while still hot, to seal the jar. Refrigerate after opening, otherwise store in a cool dark place.

Lemon Sucre' side note: I had a bag of lemon sugar, from France, and chose to use that as my citrus in this recipe. To make your own, combine one cup of sugar and the zest of one lemon. Shake together and add it to the fruit. It will also keep up to 2 weeks, in an airtight container.

This recipe could even use 1/2C of each sugar (in my opinion). I plan on attempting a blackberry/peach and a raspberry/plum next...