Berry Season!!

One of my favorite things about living in Oregon is berry season! We have to be a bit patient as often our berries come late in the season; but it’s SO worth the wait. Our berries are plump, juicy and sweet… like nothing you can find in the store. Yesterday the boys and I ventured to a berry farm and picked the perfect amount of berries for our family. Plenty to snack on, make a batch of jam and of course, dessert! I made blackberry raspberry jam and a wonderful triple berry crisp.

Blackberry Raspberry Jam

2.5 cups crushed blackberries
2.5 cups crushed raspberries
7 cups sugar
1 (1 3/4 ounce) package fruit pectin

Directions

Carefully measure out the berries, put them into a very large pot (8qt).
Carefully measure sugar in a lg bowl.
Add the pectin to the berries a little at a time, stirring constantly.
Heat on hi, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a FULL boil.
Add sugar ALL at once, stirring.
Bring mixture back to a full hard boil, stirring constantly.
Boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and ladle into clean, hot 8oz jars, leaving 1/4 inch space at the top.
Wipe the rim of the jar and put canning lids and rings on firmly tight.
Place in canner with very hot water, make sure water is 1 inch above jars.
Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Remove and set them upright on a towel to set for 12 hours.

Alternatively, you can make freezer jam. Here’s how you do that:

Blackberry Raspberry Freezer Jam

3 cups blackberries
3 cups raspberries
5 1/4 C sugar
1 box pectin

Mash berries with a potato masher one cup at a time. Add sugar to crushed fruit. Stir and allow to sit for ten minutes. Put pectin and 3/4 C water into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Add mixture to berries and stir for about three minutes until sugar is dissolved. Pour into containers. Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Keeps in the refrigerator for about three weeks or up to a year in the freezer.

Triple Berry Crisp

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
4 tablespoons white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, gently toss together blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and white sugar; set aside.
In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.
Bake in the preheated oven 40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Note: I made mine in two 8×8 pans. One to keep, one to give away.