BOYSENBERRY JAM

Boysenberry is our favourite flavour, so we were very excited to find some to make into this berry fruity jam! Enjoy boysenberry jam with French toast, scones, sponge cake, pancakes, pikelets, waffles or swirled into yoghurt and muesli.    

 

Ingredients for  BOYSENBERRY JAM
	Yield: 5-6 cups	Yield: 11-12 cups
Boysenberries, Fresh or Thawed	1kg (2.2 pounds)	2kg (4.4 pounds)
Powdered Pectin	1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 oz) i.e. 25g Jamsetta)	3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) i.e. 50g Jamsetta)
Lemon Juice (Fresh or Bottled)	2 tablespoons	4 tablespoons
Sugar, White	4 cups	8 cups

  

METHOD:

1.  Clean jars (or bottles) and equipment by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well before use.

2.  If using fresh boysenberries: rinse berries gently with water and drain carefully. Discard damaged berries (they can affect the jam flavour, reduce the storage period and increase the risk of spoilage). 

If using frozen boysenberries: place frozen boysenberries into a bowl and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Any boysenberries juice in the bowl will be added to the recipe as part of the fruit weight.

3.  Measure boysenberries into a large pan and add any juice from thawing (if applicable). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook (uncovered) for 10-15 minutes or until boysenberries are very soft, stirring every few minutes. Remove from heat. Mash for a rustic jam (or puree for a smooth jam consistency).

Optional: Strain part (or all) of the mixture through a fine sieve to discard boysenberry seeds, if desired.

4.  Prepare jars (if they require pre-heating, i.e. twist top jars) in a pot lined with a cloth. Cover jars with water and bring to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill. 

5.  Place lids into a bowl. Cover with boiling water. Remove the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.  

6.  Add the lemon juice to the jam pot and sprinkle the powdered pectin on top of the jam. Whisk well. Bring jam to a boil, as high as possible, and then add the sugar all at once. Whisk well. Place jam pot back onto heat. Whisk occasionally while the sugar dissolves, to prevent the jam sticking to the pot base. Then bring jam to a rolling boil (cannot stir down, mixture will foam). Boil as hard as possible for 1 minute. Then turn the heat off, skim foam from the surface and check for gel stage (jam consistency).

7.  Remove jars from hot water and place onto a heatproof surface i.e. tea towel. Pour the hot boysenberry jam into the hot jars to 0.5cm (1/4 inch) from the rim 

TIP: use a jug and jar funnel to fill jars.

8.  Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth to remove any jam residue.

9.  Remove lids from hot water and seal jars i.e. twist to secure “fingertip tight”.

10.  Return jars of jam into the pot of boiling water and boil for the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes back to a full boil.

11.  Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface i.e. wooden board or towel. Do not adjust lids during this time.

12.  The next day, check jars have sealed before labelling and dating clearly.

13.  Store jars of boysenberry jam in a cool, dark and dry place (i.e. pantry) for up to 12 months. Jar lids should remain tightly sealed during storage, and not flex up or down when pressed (which indicates jar seal failure, do not consume).
14.  Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 6-8 weeks.

   

Processing Time for  BOYSENBERRY JAM  in a Boiling Water Canner
	Jar Size	Altitude ≤ 1,000 feet	Altitude 1,001 - 3,000 feet	Altitude 3,001 - 6,000 feet	Altitude ≥ 6,000 feet
Hot Pack	≤ 1 Litre (quarts)	5 minutes	10 minutes	10 minutes	15 minutes

             

FLAVOUR IDEAS:

Combine fruits, add a pinch of spice or a spoonful of juice (or liqueur) per 500ml (pint) jar of boysenberry jam, process according to the recipe and taste when opening to check flavouring. Make in larger batches as desired. Adding different fruits and changing the quantity of boysenberries may create a softer or firmer jam, test a small batch first.

o  Add 1/4 cup lime juice and/or lime zest;

o  Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and/or lemon zest;

o  Substitute part of the sugar for brown sugar;

o  Substitute part of the fruit with apples, blackberries, raspberries, rhubarb or strawberries;

o  Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ground ginger or vanilla extract;

o  Infuse with a cinnamon stick or mint leaves (tied in a spice bag);

o  Add 2-3 tablespoons honey (and cinnamon and/or vanilla if you like);

o  Adults-only: add 1 teaspoon liqueur per 250ml jar i.e. gin.

 

NOTES:

o  Boysenberries are a cross between blackberries, raspberries, dewberries and loganberries. They are medium to large sized berries, with a dark purple/black colour when fully ripe (sweetest) or have a red hue if underripe (tart flavour).

o  Boysenberries contain pectin, but a squeeze of lemon juice and some powdered pectin (i.e. Jamsetta) will help it set quickly (and accurately)

o  Seeds can be removed if you prefer, but we leave ours in;

o  Low-sugar, no-pectin jam: mix 1kg boysenberries in a non- metal bowl with 300g raw sugar (or sugar of your choice) and 1 finely sliced lemon (seeds and zest can be tied into some muslin for boiling in the jam, add the juice to the fruit). Mix, cover and rest overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, boil mixture until set, discarding seed bag before bottling (follow processing method above);

o  Low-sugar, pectin jam: use no/low-sugar pectin instead to cut the sugar in our recipe back to 1/2 cup (or to taste) then follow processing method above. Remember reducing the sugar does affect the jam consistency (and reduces the storage to 4-6 months) so trial with a small batch of jam first;

o  No-sugar jam: use low/no-sugar pectin instead of regular pectin and don’t add sugar;

o  Honey or maple syrup can be used instead of sugar – remember to boil to gel stage!

 

Author: Megan Radaich          

Image Credit: Megan Radaich          

Publication: www.foodpreserving.org