ORDINARY LIFE: Blackberry-chipotle jelly with less sugar and without commercial pectin

I'm taking a quick break from writing about our recent travels on Vancouver Island because I've been derailed by a yen for blackberry-chipotle jelly. Never actually tasted it before, but the combination intrigued me. Chipotle flavors everything from chips to barbecue sauce to donuts. ... will ice cream be next? Probably not, but blackberry jelly is a good candidate.

Being a low-carb believer, I haven't made jams or jellies for years. Way too much sugar is required, and I don't care for the taste of preserves made with fake sugar. This year, with yet another ton of blackberries ripening on the edible "fence" that forms a boundary on our rural property, I decided to give low-sugar jelly another try. Jam isn't an option for blackberries, at least not for me, because of all the big seeds. Gotta strain those babies out, and jelly is the result.

I was pleased that the final product is spreadable, tasty, richly colored, and not cloyingly sweet. With chipotle cubes added, it has a bit of a bite, but nothing hot hot hot. The Mary's crackers have nothing to do with me, but are super good low-carb fare, about one carb each. A cracker topped with a little cream cheese and a dab of blackberry/chipotle jelly, yum!

Before I go on, I must give credit where it's due. I searched online for reduced sugar preserves and the first thing that popped up was the useful and well-written blog, Mother's Kitchen. I adapted the strawberry jam recipe on the Mother's Kitchen link to make blackberry jelly. My adapted recipe follows.

The author, in turn, credits the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving with providing direction for making preserves without commercial pectin. It is awesome! I could not believe that the blackberry/chipotle jelly wouldn't taste like apples, but it doesn't.

Mother's Kitchen also included this bit about commercial pectin that motivated me to NOT use it, especially not the low-sugar type. She writes:

I got interested in making jams and jellies without using commercially prepared pectin for a number of reasons. First of all, I am thrifty and it can cost well over $2 per box. Secondly, I just wanted something a little more natural. A pectin factory receives apple residue or citrus peels from juice factories. It's mixed with acid to get all the pectin out of the sludge. The solids are separated and then alcohol is added to precipitate the pectin out of solution. Ammonia is added to some kinds to make it work without added sugar normally needed (those expensive brands of pectin that allow you to make jams and jellies without adding sugar), and then it's mixed with dextrose or sugar to stabilize it. The good news is you can make all the pectin you need with apples and lemons. Mother's Kitchen blog

Here's how to use up eight cups of fresh blackberries to make seven or eight half-pint jars of jelly. Be warned—this is more time consuming than mixing fruit with a ton of sugar and a box of pectin.

Blackberry/Chipotle Jelly

8 cups blackberries
5 cups sugar (I reduced the font for sugar because it still seems like a lot. But it is far less than if made with boxed pectin.) I used a half cup less than the amount recommended.
5 tart apples. I used Granny Smiths and they were supermarket-large
1 entire lemon
2 -3 chipotle cubes* optional - using them or not does not affect ingredient quantities

* In the unlikely event you have your own smoked jalapeño peppers, from which you have made chipotle cubes, you'll understand what I mean by chipotle cubes
If not, and you want a little chipotle flavor, buy a can of chipotles in adobo sauce, chop them finely, juice and all, and add to the blackberries to taste. Use an ice cube tray to freeze what remains.

Here's my 2009 post that explains chipotle cubes. It's entitled Chipotle, Southern Oregon Style, and is kinda fun, if I do say so myself.

Directions
Dump the berries into a large shallow container, add the sugar, and mash and mix. Add chipotle if using. Set aside, and start working on the apples and lemon.

Pull off those annoying supermarket stickers, trim the blossom ends and the stems from the apples, cut into quarters--seeds, skin and all-- and roughly chop them in a food processor. No food processor?Use a large sharp knife and a cutting board.

Cut the lemon into quarters and roughly chop, including peel and seeds. Mix the apples and lemon in a soup pot, something large enough to contain the big fruit froth that's coming soon.

Just barely cover the apples and lemon with water, enough to prevent sticking but without drowning. I used too much water and boiled the mix a long time, more than the 20 minutes recommended by Mother's Kitchen. When the apples and lemon are softened, and not too watery, run them through a food mill. In the absence of a food mill, force through a fine sieve with the back of a spoon, enough to make two cups of puree. (I think I had a bit more than two cups, but it didn't matter.)A jelly bag may also be used.

I was skeptical about how this was going to work. I was pretty sure I'd end up with purple-colored apple jelly. It seemed like way too many apples. And a whole lemon? But I followed the directions.

While the apple/lemon mix is boiling, purge seeds from the blackberries with a food mill, a jelly bag, or the fine sieve/large spoon method. This is a pain in the keister, but you'll end up with a gloriously dark purple slurry. Mix it with the apple puree in a large pot. Mother's Kitchen recommends boiling for 20 minutes and then testing to determine whether the mix will be jelly or sauce.

I totally winged it, testing every few minutes (after the 20 had passed) and guessed how it should look and feel. Somehow, it turned out perfect. I dipped a spoon into the bubbling pot, let a bit pool in the spoon and swirled it around for a minute or so. When it appeared to form a sheet, I declared it done and proceeded with canning.

Later I discovered there is a scientific method; use a thermometer to take the mixture's temperature. (Not the kind you take your own temperature with, of course, but a candy or jelly thermometer. ) When the mixture is 8 degrees above the boiling point of water (212) at sea level, it has reached the gel point. 212 + 8 = 220.
We're at 1,000 ft. above sea level, so next time, I'll go with 218 degrees and take the guess work out of it. If you're at 2,000 feet elevation, boil to 216 degrees and so on.

Without a thermometer, you can do the spoon or sheet test as described by the University of Georgia's extension service

Spoon or Sheet Test: Dip a cool metal spoon in the boiling jelly mixture. Lift the spoon above the kettle out of the steam. Turn the spoon so syrup runs off the side. If the syrup forms two drops that ow together and fall off the spoon as one sheet, the jelly should be done.

Temperature Test: Take the temperature of the cooking jelly with a candy or jelly thermometer. When done, the temperature of the jelly at sea level should be 220°F, or 8°F above the boiling point of water. (Note – For each 1000 feet of altitude above sea level, subtract 2°F. For instance, at 1000 feet of altitude, the jelly is done at 218°F; at 2000 feet, 216°F, etc. For an accurate thermometer reading, place the thermometer in a vertical position and read at eye level. The bulb of the thermometer must be completely covered with jelly but must not touch the bottom of the saucepot. (Remember to rst test the accuracy of the thermometer by making sure it registers 212°F, or the boiling temperature for your altitude, when placed in boiling water.)

When the gel point has been reached, quickly pour jelly-to-be into hot clean jars, apply lids and screw bands, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. If you're unsure about canning, this link includes detailed directions.