We all know I am pathological about wasting food, so I had to find a way to use the lime flesh leftover from the Can Jam Lime Curd recipe.  I thought about simply juicing them and freezing the juice, but really, it seemed silly to use bottled juice in the curd and then freeze the fresh juice for something else. Call me wacky. Since I was kind of back in the swing of canning, I dug some blackberries out of the freezer and came up with this blackberry lime jam.

This jam is quite tangy – lime is the predominant flavor- and not overly sweet, with just enough sugar to counter the pucker factor.  It would be equally good spread on toast as used in a marinade for chicken or pork.  I don’t often use commercial pectin (but I had a box that was ready to expire; heaven knows I couldn’t just throw it away!) but it made this recipe easy-peasy blackberry pie.

Blackberry Lime Jam

INGREDIENTS

• 6 limes, peeled, seeded & supremed, and roughly chopped (about 1 and 1/4 cups fruit + juice)
• 5 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen), lightly crushed (to yield about 2 and 3/4 cups crushed fruit + juice)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1 package No Sugar Needed fruit pectin
• 1 cup organic cane sugar
• pinch Kosher salt
• 3 dashes Tabasco

METHODS

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids.
2. Add prepared fruit (lime + crushed blackberries + juice should equal 4 cups), water and lime juice to a medium stockpot.  Add pectin and stir well to dissolve.
3. Bring to a full rolling boil, that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.  Add sugar all at once. Stir to combine and bring mixture back to a full, rolling boil.  Boil hard for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Ladle hot jam into hot, sterilized jars to 1/4-inch headspace.  Wipe rims, afix lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yields about 5 cups.

OPTIONS

1. I’ll admit I did not supreme my limes. Supreming is kind of a pain in the butt, especially on such tiny fruit.  But I should have; instead, even though I tried to chop everything quite fine in the food processor, I spent a while picking particularly egregious bits of membrane out of the stockpot.  What I could have done was chop everything, then put through a large mesh strainer or colander; large enough to let fruit pulp through, but small enough to catch the membrane bits.  Or, I could have waited until Mr. Trained Pastry Chef came home and made him supreme 6 limes.  Live and learn.
2. Lime is the predominant flavor here, so any flavorful berry you have an hand will work if you don’t have blackberries.
3. The jam is quite tangy with a kick of lime; Tai & I both find it delicious, but if you like your jam on the sweeter side, consider upping the sugar (to a maximum of 3 cups).
4. The Tabasco does not add a detectable spice, just a liveliness to the lime & berry.  Feel free to omit if you don’t have any on hand, but do not worry about not tolerating spice – you won’t even taste it.

STORE

Canned, at room temperature, protected from light, for up to 1 year.

SEASON

Blackberries are in season in August, while limes are in season in winter. With frozen berries this jam can be made year round.