Blackberry Dragonfruit Jam Recipes

Steps:

• Halve dragon fruit.
• Scoop out flesh into a deep pot.
• Mash well with potato masher.
• Add the juice of two lemons and the fine zest of one.
• Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Simmer, uncovered, stirring, for 30 minutes or so to get a thick puree.
• Bring to a hot, rolling boil.
• Add sugar.
• Continue to boil hard, stirring, until desired gel is reached. Dragon fruit does not so much gel as form a thick, gluey slime.
• Add pectin if desired to obtain a firmer gel.
• The jam can be canned. Process prepared 6 to 8 oz jars for 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Sterilize jars, set lids in hot water to activate rubber compound.
• Prepare fruit by crushing, then measure two cups of combined fruit using all of the dragonfruit and enough blackberries to fill measuring cup. Add to pan with lemon juice.
• Stir in sugar. Add 1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine to reduce foaming if you'd like
• Bring to full roiling boil (shouldn't be able to stir it down from boil) on high heat, stir constantly to prevent sticking.
• Stir in pectin quickly and return to full roiling boil for exactly one minute, continuing to stir constantly. Remove from heat and skim any foam before ladling into jars. Alternatively you can stir as the jam cools slightly, which will incorporate back some of the foam and help keep fruit from floating as much.
• Ladle into prepared jars, leaving 1/8th inch of headspace. Wipe rims and threads before placing lids and bands, and tightening with fingers. Process in hot water canner for ten minutes. Refrigerate any unsealed jars for up to three weeks and store sealed jars for up to a year in a cool, dry, dark place.

Steps:

• Place the berries in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, mashing the berries with a potato masher as they cook. Add the lemon juice and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring and mashing constantly.
• Add the sugar and return the mixture to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to look syrupy and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and test for doneness: a candy thermometer should register 220 degrees F and the mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Run a finger--or a clean object about the width of a finger--through the coat of jam. If the jam does not run and fill the gap, it is done. Otherwise, return the pan to the heat for another 1 to 2 minutes and test again. Be careful not to let the mixture get too thick--it will thicken as it cools.
• When the jam is done, transfer it to a heatproof jar and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. The jam will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• The night before you make your jam, layer the blackberries and sugar together in a very large bowl, then cover and set aside at room temperature. This helps the sugar to start dissolving so you don't run the risk of over-cooking the fruit when you actually begin to make the jam. The next morning, give everything a quick stir, then set aside again until you are ready to start cooking.
• Before you start, put a small saucer in the freezer. Take a preserving pan or a large, wide-based pan (the wider and more open the pan, the faster the jam will be ready, so a preserving pan is really ideal) and tip the berries in, scraping out all the juices and any undissolved sugar. Stir in the lemon juice, then collect all the pips and secure them inside a tea-leaf strainer or piece of muslin before adding them to the pan (cooking the pips along with the fruit extracts the pectin they contain, helping your jam to set).
• Start the blackberries over a low heat until all the sugar is completely dissolved, then bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins. Turn off the heat and spoon a little hot syrupy jam onto the chilled saucer. Once it's cool, push it with your finger. If it wrinkles a little, it's ready and has reached setting point. If it's too runny to wrinkle, return the pan to the heat and boil in 2 or 3-minute stages, removing the pan from the heat each time you do the saucer check, until the jam wrinkles.
• Skim off any excess scum, then stir in the knob of butter, if you want - this will help to dissolve any remaining scum. Leave the jam for 15 mins before ladling into sterilised jars - this allows the fruit to settle so it doesn't sink to the bottom. The jam will keep in a cool, dark place for at least 6 months. Refrigerate jars once opened.