Canning blackberry cobbler and pie filling

Blackberries grow all over the US. In my area there are vacant fields left and right that have plethora's growing. This year I went all out and took advantage of that.

It took me a few weeks to collect just over 7 gallons of these berries. To keep them from going bad I would fill the freezer after each trip, until I got an amount I was happy with. This is a handful of frozen berries right before I started cooking.

This is 1/2 of my stash. The recipe called for 3 gallons of berries, so I used a little extra.

Supplies list: Sugar, Berries, Lemon Juice, Water, and Clear-jel, OR Sure-jell.

Note: EVERY where online says to use Clear-Jel, and I did not find anywhere that advised the use of Sure-jell in its place. However, I went ahead and tried, and I have been VERY pleased with the results.

Once again for emphasis: I USED SURE-JELL AND LOVED IT.

Step 1:At the bottom of this post I have a chart that will give the amounts of each ingredient based on the size of batch you want to make. For that reason, I will just say the ingredient and not the amount. So, combine the sugar and pectin in a bowl, and slowly add it to the boiling water, stirring to prevent clumps.

Step 2: Once your water, sugar, sure-jell solution is mixed and simmering, add the lemon juice and berries.

Step 3: Turn down heat and stir, A lot, you don't want scorched berries at the bottom. The length of time you stir, will depend entirely on the consistency you want. If you like it with more whole berries, don't stir as long, but if you like it more liquid-ey, stir longer while on heat.

Step 4: Once the berry mash has attained the consistency you are aiming for, ladle the hot mash into your jars. Once in the jars get them in your boiling water in the water bath canner.

Step 5: Keep them covered in the boiling water for 30 minutes. At this point they will be done and you can remove and let cool.

You can see the mash seems to separate slightly once in the jar. The berry bits and solids float, while the more dense liquid sinks. I think this makes for a cool looking effect, and plays no roll in the usage of this filling.

Also, This stuff makes for a great addition to a homemade milk shake.

Ingredients for Quart Jars	Per Quart (32 oz.) Jar	6 Quarts	8 Quarts	10 Quarts	12 Quarts
Blackberries	5 cups	30 cups or 2 gallons	40 cups or almost 3 gallons	50 cups or a little more than 3.5 gallons	60 cups or 4 gallons
Granulated Sugar	1/2 cup	3 cups	4 cups	5 cups	6 cups
Water	1 cup	6 cups	8 cups	10 cups	12 cups
Lemon Juice (required for canning)	1 Tbsp.	1/4 cup + 2 Tbsps.	1/2 cup	1/2 cup + 2 Tbsps.	3/4 cup
Sure-Jell	1/4 cup	1-1/2 cups	2 cups	2-1/2 cups	3 cups