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Late June and early July on my 7 acre homestead means it’s time to make some homemade wild black raspberry jam.
I love cooking through the seasons. Before this I was busy finding ways to use up our rhubarb harvest. I made some rhubarb crisp, rhubarb wine, strawberry rhubarb jam, and I froze some for future use. If you have rhubarb, you’ll definitely want to check these out. I digress…back to the wild raspberry harvest!
Wild black raspberry jam is an easy way to preserve this delicious summer fruit. This recipe for small batch wild black raspberry jam is my favorite because it only has three ingredients and requires no pectin. All you need are raspberries, granulated white sugar, and lemon juice.
As a forager who is never guaranteed large quantities of berries at a time, this recipe is the best.
Since wild raspberries ripen in stages, I usually go out hunting for them almost daily during this time because can’t seem to ever collect enough in one shot. I can usually only collect a cup or two daily from the many wild bushes that pop up all over our homestead. Because of their staged ripening, it can sometimes take me a while to collect up enough for a homemade batch of black raspberry jam. Sometimes, I throw them in the freezer until I have enough to do something with them.
My original recipe calls for 4 cups of raspberries, 2 cups of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, but i’ve also made this and cut this recipe in half when I’ve only been able to gather smaller amounts of raspberries. It turned out great and produced enough for two small jars (4 oz.) of jam, and a bit left over for immediate cunsumption. So if you can only find a couple of cups of this juicy fruit, then go ahead and cut this recipe in half.
Black raspberries are acidic enough on their own for canning, but adding a bit of lemon juice helps to enhance their flavor in the finished black raspberry jam. Lemon juice also adds a bit of pectin which can help the jam to set without having to add store bought pectin.
Check out the recipe and instructions below.
Wild Black Raspberry Jam
Equipment
- large spoon for stirring and mashing
Ingredients
- 4 cups black raspberries
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
Instructions
- Place black raspberries, sugar and lemon juice into a medium sized saucepan. Make sure there's plenty of room in the pan to prevent it from bubbling over- the liquid will get quite bubbly.
- Cook the raspberries on medium heat until they have released their juices. Use a spoon to crush the raspberries against the pan as you stir.
- Once the berries have released their juices, turn the heat up to high and boil rapidly.
- Thicken the jam by continuing to boil for around 8-10 minutes or until your jam reaches gel stage (see notes below).
- Once the jam reaches gel stage, remove from heat immediately and fill jam jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- If using immediatly, you can store in the refrigerator , or if canning, process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for an additional 5 minutes before removing to help prevent liquid in the jar being forced out by improper cool-down procedure.
- Allow the jars to cool completely. Check that jars have sealed properly and store for up to a year.
Notes
- Tip: You can make your own water bath canner if you don’t own one. Simply tie several screw bands together with string or use a small round cake rack in the bottom of a large covered Dutch oven or stainless steel pot. Be sure the pan is high enough for 2 inches (5 cm) of water to cover the jars when they are sitting on the rack.
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Had 6 cups of black raspberries I foraged from the yard so added additional sugar and lemon juice accordingly. Boiled it 10 minutes. Perfect!
I have just a little over 2.5 quarts black raspberries I want the perfect jam recipe, someone help.
Have you tried straining out the seeds? If so, at what stage would I do that? My sweet granddaughter loves the jam but not the seeds! Thanks for a simple, wholesome recipe and instructions
That’s what I want to know too. I’m going to strain in between the berries releasing their juice and cooking to thicken.
Sorry, no I’ve never tried straining the seeds. My family doesn’t mind them, so I don’t bother. If you try it, let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Can I freeze this jam rather than canning it?
Can I freeze this jam?
Yes, I think that will work.
Trying your black raspberry recipe and would like to know more about foraging
That’s great. I think you’ll really like the recipe. There’s a whole section on the blog about foraging and wildcrafting plant medicine from foraged herbs and plants. I hope you’ll check it out!
My jam turned out perfect. A friend gave me a bowl of black raspberries, a berry that I love and rarely have, and I decided jam was the best way for the flavor to last . Very simple recipe to adapt to varying amounts of berries because the recipe uses the basics…sugar and lemon juice.
I’m glad to hear it came out well.
do you use lemon juice squeezed from a fresh lemon or lemon juice from a bottle?
Either is fine.
Hi! I love the idea of making jam, but I only have 8 oz jars. Are the instructions the same regarding the canning time? I will probably triple the recipe. I have a lot of berries! Thank you!
The processing time should remain the same regardless of jar size. 10 minutes in the water bat total.
How many canning jars does this recipe fill?
3-4 8oz jars or 6-8 4oz jars. I prefer the 4oz jars, but it’s your preference.
It filled 1 and a 1/2 pint jars for me. So easy my 11 year old made his own jam from our wild raspberries 😊
That’s awesome! I love it when we get kids excited about using wild foods!
This was my first time making jam solo. Used 6 cups of black raspberries, upped the amounts accordingly. I used the gel test and it took around 10ish minutes. All sealed great. Came out with eight 4oz jars. It tastes phenomenal! I will be making more as the rest of the berries ripen this year. Thank you!
I’m so glad it turned out well for you!
I picked about 5 lbs yesterday, some I froze and the rest I made enough jam for 6 (1/2 pint) jars…I reduced the sugar, according to a different recipe, to 3 cups, but I think I’ll do your version of 4 cups for my next batch….it thickens quicker, has less of a cooked flavor, and I think you get more jam. I decided that a little extra sweetness is fine, I mean, it’s a condiment, after all, not dessert, though my sis can eat half a jar at one sitting,..lol.
Did you wash them before you froze them?
I’m answering for this guy.
I think it’s always smart to wash your produce before freezing. Just let them dry before you put them in the freezer (or dry them with paper towels or a salad spinner).
Thank you! Great answer!
To be clear, I used 3 cups of sugar for 8 cups of berries, but I’ll use your proportion of 2 cups sugar to 4 cups berries, next time. Don’t want to confuse anyone out there! ; )
It’s really the best jam…black raspberries have a haunting sweetness and unforgettable flavor.
Agreed! They are simply magical!
I’ve always used pectin, so this is the first year I am making without, which I am excited to try. Thank you for this online recipe as my old Ball Blue book is in storage in another state. My question is in regards to the measurement of the berries. Is that before or after ‘crushing’? I’ve always crushed the berries first. There is a significant difference in amount of berries. Thanks!
The measurement is for whole berries.