Blackberry Jelly

Nature is full of surprises.  This year, wild blackberry bushes have sprung up all around my compost bins.  And they are heavy with ripe, juicy berries! 

I put on my knee high boots and long pants and went out to gather nature's bounty.  The thorns on these bushes are vicious, and the mosquitoes love to hide in the shrubs around the compost, so the long pants and boots were required.  The berries are small and I needed 4 cups to make my jelly, but it only took me about an hour to gather enough fruit.

I found the recipe for blackberry jelly on the Certo package.  I even had enough left over to make some strawberry-blackberry no-cook freezer jam.   But I don't like the freezer jam as much.  I find it a bit grainy.  But I'm sure we will gobble it up.