It was my friend Jenny who first introduced me to the flavor combination of blackberry and sage. It was her favorite tea. So when Giovanna suggested that we do a co-post on summer jam, that’s what came to mind.
You know that I love my herb garden. And this time of year it’s growing gangbusters, so I’m always looking for ways to incorporate fresh herbs. I wondered, would this be too odd? Thankfully, no. It’s delicious. In fact, I may never make blackberry jam without sage again.
Store-bought jam is often too sweet for me, so I opted for the same low sugar thickener that I used in this fresh strawberry pie. And just like the pie, I wanted to leave the berries uncooked, so I opted for freezer jam. (Of course laziness didn’t play in to this decision at all. Ahem.)
I found that whirling the sage leaves with the sugar in my food processor made quick work of mincing the sage into tiny, tiny pieces. (It would be unpleasant, I think, to bite into a big chunk of sage in jam. Sage should be an essence, not the principal flavor.) From there, you add in the berries and lime juice, pulse a few times and your done. Well except for stirring in the pectin and calcium water – 5 seconds tops! It’s truly the easiest jam you can make and a wonderful way to preserve some of this quickly fleeting summer season.
For our co-post, Giovanna is posting her recipe for Peach Jam which sounds heavenly to me. I can hardly wait!
- food processor
- blender
- 3 sterilized pint jars with lids
- 5 fresh sage leaves
- 1 cup natural cane sugar
- 3 pints blackberries
- juice of 2 limes (a little of the zest could be nice?)
- ¾ cup water
- 3 teaspoons pectin powder, such as Pomona Pectin
- 3 tablespoons calcium water (see Pomona Pectin box for instructions)
- Add sage leaves and sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Process until sage is in tiny pieces, about 30 seconds. Add berries and lime juice; pulse until desired you reach your desired texture - I like to leave some chunks.
- Transfer berry mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
- Bring water to boil.
- Pour boiling water into a blender pitcher and add pectin. Vent lid, covering with a kitchen towel, and blend until all powder is dissolved.
- Add hot, liquid pectin to fruit and stir to mix well.
- Add calcium water and stir well to combine.
- Fill pint jars, leaving ½" at the top. Twist lids on and store in the freezer.
- Ready to serve? See headnote. Enjoy!
Welcome! I'm Marissa, and I write this blog. I write about the recipes that propel me (and hopefully you) into the kitchen. 
Thank you, Marissa! This is definitely the time of year to make this jam. I’m going to try my hand at it this very weekend.
Wonderful! Thanks, Hope!
Where on earth did you get that amazing spoon? I want one!
Hi Liz – isn’t it great? It’s actually a spreading knife – I bought it at a little grocery store in the town square of Healdsburg California.
What a fantastic way to incorporate your own herb garden Marissa! The flavour sounds heavenly 🙂
Sage in a jam???? i have to try, i’m learning always something new following your blog!!! Thanks
I never thought of that combination. Sage is tricky sometimes, at least the one I get here, it can be extremely bitter. The color alone is really enticing. Gorgeous jam Marissa! I really should make it more often.
Mmmm…mmmm…mmm! Sounds delicious, I think I’ll try this myself – thanks Marissa 🙂