Software
Houzz Logo Print
vall3fam

Using wild blackberries

18 years ago

The wild blackberries on the ditch banks are beginning to start to show color, so I am wondering what is the best way to store up enough to make seedless jam, as it is difficult to pick enough in one day.

Is it better to clean and freeze the berries whole until I get enough to get juice or juice them as I get them and freeze the juice?

I've made jam before using the whole berry and those little guys just have way too many seed for my liking.

Thanks,

Elaine

Comments (9)

  • 18 years ago

    I just made some Black Raspberry Jam. I used both fresh and some of the recently frozen ones. Getting the seeds out was a #itch.... next time I'm using my Acme juicer, but I think there is a special filter for the Victorio Strainer if you have one. This time I ran them thru' a foley mill -- which still left seeds, so I then pressed that mash -- by hand -- thru' a fine strainer.
    It is sooooo good!

  • 18 years ago

    I think it depends on how many you can get at once. My MIL doesn't like seeds either, but she freezes the berries whole then thaws them and does whatever she wants with them later (she makes seedless jelly). I use them whole (after they are thawed) for jam and cobblers for my berry eating hubby (we don't mind the seeds).

  • 18 years ago

    My dad was a blueberry picker in his retirement and loved to go to NH to pick in a guys 30 acre blueberry bush farm. He would be there all day and into dusk. He came home with 30-40 quarts, but these were from cultivated blueberries. He simply picked them over and washed them off, then placed in bags in the freezer. I do the same with red raspberries, as I just don't get enough for a whole batch at one time. If you want to make a smaller batch, add something like bottled blueberry juice as a liquid, or even cranberry or apple. Frozen concentrates are also good and help to increase the natural sugar. I just cant eat many seedy raspberries as the seeds get caught in my fillings.

  • 18 years ago

    Thanks for the info. I figured I could freeze them until I had enough, then get the juice out. So that sounds like that would work. Freezing them will probably make the juice run better anyway.

    Thanks,
    Elaine

  • 18 years ago

    Because I use a finer holed berry screen on the Villaware food strainer, I found that no seeds get through, even when I rerun the waste through a second time. Just be sure to fully thaw the berries. I was in a rush and tried to get them strained while a few were still partially frozen. It clogged up machine, and was pushing red raspberry 'slush' out the holes. I just let it thaw, and was able to easily get all the good pulp and juice out.

  • 18 years ago

    I did use the Acme juicer to "spin-out" the juice from the berries, and it worked great. Two things:
    1. I would macerate and mash the berries first next time;
    2. I was surprised that the juice set-up on it's own... more like a sauce.

  • 18 years ago

    I don't know what an Acme juicer is. Yes, some berries can set up with just added sugar. Cranberries are a good example. Here is the food strainer I use, with the optional berry screen. No prepping is necessary, except for large tomatoes which would be cut into quarters as shown in the photo.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Villaware food strainer

  • 18 years ago

    I had something similar to this back in the 70s when I did LOTS of freezing and canning. I bookmarked the page for future reference.

  • 18 years ago

    These food mils can really do a great job on tomatoes for a seedless sauce. I like thick sauces and don't care to boil them down too much. Instead, I cut tomatoes on quarters and dig out most of the seeds and liquid, then run them through the Villaware/Roma strainer with the standard screen it comes with. Usually I end up with a nice thick tomato sauce even before its cooked. The last time I grew 200 tomato plants, which were mostly plum types, I had quite batch or sauce, and use the optional moto unit to help with strainin. I had done almost 2 bushels of tomatoes in less than an hour, and that included cutting ad digging out the liquid and some seeds. The skins are strained out in the machine.