# Canning blackberries?



## AlyMorgan

They are just now ripening, and mason jars are 12 for 10$ at lowes right now, along with a canning "kit" for beginners for like 15$... Worth it for a 16 year old city girl to learn the homestead ways?


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## MsSage

yeap go for it. If you can find half pint jars get them LOL I had a hard time finding 4 flats of them for cherries and apricots this year.


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## goshengirl

Well, I'm biased - but then again, I really wish I'd learned the homestead ways when I was sixteen. I'd say it's always worth it to learn the homestead ways.


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## The_Blob

you might want to start with making preserves from the blackberries... it's very easy, and you use less jars! :2thumb:


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## Emerald

I say go for it!! That canning set up will pay for it self over and over again.
and on Blackberries.. how to can them is up to you. I've canned fruit before by just washing it well and put it in jars and pouring hot simple syrup over it and then processing(use the ball blue book to get the times. The times I use are probably wrong now )
or get some pectin and make jam out of them and then can. 
the jars might be a bit cheaper at walmart. I know that here the walmart has them for $8.87 to $10 per dozen depending on the size you want. Don't buy the Better home and garden ones tho those jars are made in China. stick with Kerr or Golden Harvest or Ball.. they are made in Canada.(well the ones here are but they may have them from the USA too)


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## The_Blob

slightly OT, but I felt the need to emntion it...

I must live in either the most or least prepared place in the country, because I still keep finding various sized (mostly pint) canning (mason and off-brand) jars for $0.25 each or even cheaper at flea markets and garage sales! :2thumb:

I keep feeding my addiction and buying every jar I find!  I have hundreds that I haven't had the chance to wash properly yet.  :nuts:


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## Emerald

The_Blob said:


> slightly OT, but I felt the need to emntion it...
> 
> I must live in either the most or least prepared place in the country, because I still keep finding various sized (mostly pint) canning (mason and off-brand) jars for $0.25 each or even cheaper at flea markets and garage sales! :2thumb:
> 
> I keep feeding my addiction and buying every jar I find!  I have hundreds that I haven't had the chance to wash properly yet.  :nuts:


 Nope.. I get many of my mason jars that way.. and by letting family know I can I have come home with many many boxes of jars of any size you could ever want. I have even found them on my deck when I've come home.


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## *Andi

AlyMorgan said:


> They are just now ripening, and mason jars are 12 for 10$ at lowes right now, along with a canning "kit" for beginners for like 15$... Worth it for a 16 year old city girl to learn the homestead ways?


:welcome:

To the homestead ways ... :congrat:


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## LilRedHen

AlyMorgan said:


> They are just now ripening, and mason jars are 12 for 10$ at lowes right now, along with a canning "kit" for beginners for like 15$... Worth it for a 16 year old city girl to learn the homestead ways?


Yes, it's worth it. You will reuse those jars many many times, also the canning kit. I'm proud of you for wanting to learn 'homestead ways' at your age.:2thumb:


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## UncleJoe

The_Blob said:


> you might want to start with making preserves from the blackberries... it's very easy, and you use less jars! :2thumb:


Yep. That's the easiest way to go. It's the way I save mine.


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## FatTire

Most of my mason jars are full of vodka, but the blackberries are comming in soon here, I havnt canned anything since helping my aunts when I was a kid... Maybe it's time to give it a shot


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## timmie

ye go for it. any canning supplies you buy now will pay off later as well. if you put the word out that you are canning and need jars you will soon have more than you can use. welcome to the world of canning


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## *Andi

FatTire said:


> Most of my mason jars are full of vodka, but the blackberries are comming in soon here, I havnt canned anything since helping my aunts when I was a kid... Maybe it's time to give it a shot


First thing that came to mind with the vodka ... blackberry tinture. :2thumb: (Yea, to much schooling ... :surrender

Sorry, What can I say ...


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## FatTire

You had me at blackberry vodka


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## mdprepper

*Andi said:


> First thing that came to mind with the vodka ... blackberry tinture. :2thumb: (Yea, to much schooling ... :surrender
> 
> Sorry, What can I say ...


I was thinking the same thing!



FatTire said:


> You had me at blackberry vodka


Such wonderful ideas! Now I have to go walking in the woods and see if I can find some blackberries I guess I could can some too


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## TopTop

Well young lady, if I were 40 yrs younger---ehhh, never mind. I'd still be too old for you. Seems strange, a teenager talking about a blackberry & she isn't talking about an electronic toy glued to her ear. I can't advise you on canning, but others on here will. Just wanted to say hi & keep up the good work. I included a link to a gov guide on home canning. Read it along with any advice you get. I have seen people try to can "the way Mom used to do it". Problem is, new strains of bacteria require higher temps/longer time to kill. A couple years ago a young friend insisted on using his grandmother's hot water canner for his beans. I tried to explain & even offered to loan him a pressure canner. He refused & even got upset with me. Of course he lost everything he had canned. Anyway, have fun & if you run out of berries just stop on by. I have a couple hundred yards of wild blackberries along one fence line.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_home.html

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/berries_whole.html

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can7_jam_jelly.html


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## *Andi

mdprepper said:


> I was thinking the same thing!
> 
> Such wonderful ideas! Now I have to go walking in the woods and see if I can find some blackberries I guess I could can some too


Thanks for the smile!:2thumb:


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## AlyMorgan

Thank you all so so much!! I really appreciate the welcomes, advice and recipes! I was thinking jam, but I don't want to have to ask my parents for money to buy a hoarders supply of pectin. You see, we have about a half acre of these brambles, and it's completely useless with all Te blackberries there. So my plan was to clear out the berries, and cut back until I have a decent sized patch. It's one of the only sunny spots on our property, and I can't leave it to a hardy plant that will do just fine if it's confined to a littler area. I know I seem a little young...okay maybe a lot! But we had to relocate from our suburban home and we got lucky enough to find a 1 1/2 acre gem of a home, with a year round creek too! It's slow going for sure, especially with two little brothers to look after while my parents are at work, but I'm confident that by this time next year, we will be a fully functional self sufficient home! I'll post updates and maybe go out and get those jars today!  -Aly


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## derek78

I wish i thought like that at your age. Let us know how the jam turns out!


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## Homestead Gal

Yum, blackberries! I would definitely can them and make jam. As far as canning jars, I go to flea markets and find them. Just happened to go into a local second hand shop and bought 4 dozen mixed size canning jars for... (drum roll please)... 4 DOLLARS for all! Best deal yet! I left him my number and told me to call me when he got more in, I'd by them all. I use them for all kinds of stuff...can't have enough canning jars.


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## UncleJoe

AlyMorgan said:


> I don't want to have to ask my parents for money to buy a hoarders supply of pectin.


Some on here will disagree with me but I've never used pectin. I just slow-cook it down to the consistency I want and then can it. YMMV


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## stanb999

Also, when you get your supplies be sure to get a bit of cheese cloth. You will want to filter at least some of the seeds out when making the Jam. Otherwise it will be very seedy.

In the future when funds allow you can get a food mill. Google it.

Good luck on your project.


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## Emerald

Do some looking here on the food forum there is a thread on making your own pectin out of apples.
I also would forget the cheese cloth as the stuff in stores is not what you really want. it tends to be really loose and useless. Look for "flour sack" towels. walmart and our local big box store has them and even Sam's club. it is a light, lint free type towel that is not terry cloth. I used it for cheeses and other baking and cooking needs.. easy to bleach and use. Or if you sew a very light unbleached muslin works very well. 
But for straining seeds. I have all the fancy smancy things like a food mill and just bought a food strainer for my new kitchenade mixer but ya know what I use the most still(I guess some habits are hard to break) my fine mesh strainer and the back of my metal soup ladle.. The mesh strainers are pretty inexpensive, I've even seen small ones at the dollar store(they may not last for years but they work).
Now if you parents like the first batch of jam/jelly you put up they may just help and invest in the pectin to get more!


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## SimpleJoys

If you find used canning jars, buy new lids (just the flat part with the rubber ring), they can only be used once. Everything else can be used by your greatgrandchildren.

I wish I had been smart enough to think like you at your age.


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## UncleJoe

SimpleJoys said:


> I wish I had been smart enough to think like you at your age.


You and me both.


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## The_Blob

get the little brothers to help... I grew up picking berries since I could walk; started out with a 2 qt trick-or-treat jack-o-lantern bucket, then graduated to a 5 qt ice cream pail before moving on to a five gallon bucket.

I was never scolded for eating berries, but I wasn't allowed to 'go play' until after I filled my bucket.


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## Emerald

The_Blob said:


> get the little brothers to help... I grew up picking berries since I could walk; started out with a 2 qt trick-or-treat jack-o-lantern bucket, then graduated to a 5 qt ice cream pail before moving on to a five gallon bucket.
> 
> I was never scolded for eating berries, but I wasn't allowed to 'go play' until after I filled my bucket.


We were never allowed to use 5 gallon buckets. the berries at the bottom get all squishy.. we had the ice cream buckets. and the blueberry place I pick at has that size too.. he said the same thing.. any bigger the berries tend to squish the ones on the bottom. 
I bring my own or big bowls to put the buckets into. as this fella is a stream lined out in the middle of no where not even a portapotty but it only costs me $8 for the 5 quart ice cream bucket. and he gets upset if you don't heap it over the top.. Mr. Marhoffer must be in his upper 80s and quite the character. I was telling him I remember him and his son planting the field and wondered why in the middle of nowhere. he said I was too young to member that.. then I told him I was in school with his son.
I think he likes me cuz when he asked that we strip each bush before moving to the next we do.. once he saw that I was willing to pick all the ripe berries on each bush( I even cleaned up after a couple of city folk who only picked the biggest ones) he moved me to the nice big bushes that hadn't been picked yet.. 
my luck this year it will be 100 out when those puppies ripen! and I need about 4 buckets worth..


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## AlyMorgan

Teehee! Good idea, since I've got a 4 year old and 2 year old brothers! I have some of the flour sack towels you speak of, and I just collected a few new jars that my grandmother had laying around! Now I'm just waiting for the suckers to ripen all the way! I feel out of place for being so young on these forums! I'll definitely check out the apple pectin thread. Thank you all again! :*


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## FatTire

You're a rare bird, gives me hope


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## Emerald

AlyMorgan said:


> Teehee! Good idea, since I've got a 4 year old and 2 year old brothers! I have some of the flour sack towels you speak of, and I just collected a few new jars that my grandmother had laying around! Now I'm just waiting for the suckers to ripen all the way! I feel out of place for being so young on these forums! I'll definitely check out the apple pectin thread. Thank you all again! :*


Don't feel out of place sweetie!!! There are a couple other teens here somewhere. 
You ask all the questions you need to.. 
Now if you don't want to buy pectin I have made a freezer jam with plain gelatin that works okay too. One packet of plain gelatin per two cups of mashed and lightly cooked fruit that has one cup of sugar. I'll have to look thru my recipes and see where it is.. 
I'm sure it was mash the berries with the sugar and lightly cook them till the sugar dissolves and the berries just start to lose their juice and then you bloom the gelatin in about 1/8cup cold water and then dump it in the hot fruit sugar mix and stir well til the gelatin is all mixed in.. then I put it in the little rubbermaid tubs or you can get the new freezer jelly jars. now it is a bit looser than pectin jams but the favor is a bit "fresher" than the cooked down jams.


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## Salekdarling

Heck, I wish I had started homesteading at sixteen! Way to get on the ball Aly!


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## ilovetigger

By our house Big Lot has the best price for canning jars and lids or ACO has a great sale closer to end of season.


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## pixieduster

ilovetigger said:


> By our house Big Lot has the best price for canning jars and lids or ACO has a great sale closer to end of season.


Same here. Love Big Lots. They also take coupons.


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## Emerald

I was just wondering how it all turned out?


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## HoppeEL4

Oh AlyMorgan....your in Cali and have those dang things too? Himalayan Blackberries are invasive up here, but people have just accepted them and use them, we even have mock festivals about them. They are VERY seedy, but very sweet and good in pies and jam. Find a Dollar Store strainer and strain out the seeds, it makes the jam so much more enjoyable..

Speaking of berries, I was just at the Oregon Coast and found the Salmon Berries were ripe. Wow, wish I could get hold of a few gallons of those for jam. Bright orange jam..neat.

I admit, although I spent my childhood picking berries, and picking wild blackberries, and as sick as I say I am of the Himalayan blackberries (they are EVERYWHERE up here) I love the smell of them on a warm day when they are ripe...a very sweet winey smell, sort of syrupy.

Well, if you can't beat the blackberries, eat them!


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