Blackberry Citrus Cranberry jam

Preserves made with some citrus always add a little nice taste to them.

Ok so it is cold today. The freezer has tons of fruit I froze while it was fresh from the vine. So my little mind is thinking time for some blackberry jam. Hummm why do plain it is so boring and as we know I love to tweak the jams.

I love my jam to be fruit filled. Large chunks of fruit in the jam. Not everyone likes this but my peeps do. So I took some blackberries, citrus cranberries I got at a local organic market and some lemon zest. Nice !

Blackberry Citrus Cranberry Jam

Makes 7 small jelly jars. Half pints. 

6 cups of whole blackberries
1 cup of dried citrus cranberries(or fresh)
Zest of one lemon
Juice from that lemon
1/4 cup lime juice- personal taste addition
5 cups of sugar - you can add an additional cup if you like it sweeter it will not hurt the outcome

I cook my blackberries down on a slow simmer and crushed them with a potato masher. I added the cranberries and lemon zest. Then the juice from the one lemon. I let this simmer together for 20 minutes on low and stir regularly. Once it is well simmered I add 5 cups of sugar and bring it up to a hard boil one you cannot stir down. Keep stirring it or it will burn. Once you have a foamy top and bubbly deliciousness take it off the heat and skim the foam off the top. Ladle into 1/2 pint jelly jars till 1/4" from the top of the jar. Wipe your jars clean and cap and water bath them for 15 minutes.