This sweet and herbaceous blackberry mead jam with honey and thyme is a perfect way to preserve the ripened berries of summer from the windswept plains of Rohan, best enjoyed on a slice of freshly baked no knead rye bread. For another pantry preserve, try our Spiced Rhubarb Jam.
If you love Middle Earth-inspired preserves and pantry recipes, try our Hobbit's Pantry e-cookbook for a compilation of many of our favourite recipes from the Shire.
At a Glance: Blackberry Mead Jam with Honey and Thyme
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cooking Time: 20 minutes
- Canning Time: 15 minute
- Water Bathing Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: ~1 hour 15 minutes
- Servings: 6 pints
- Flavour: Sweet and tangy, juicy berry, herbaceous notes
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Why this Works: Juicy blackberries are paired with sweet honey wine and fragrant thyme for a jam bursting with the flavours of high summer.
The Pantries of Middle Earth
When spring arrives in Middle Earth, the fields, orchards and gardens begin to yield their bounty. From the blooming gardens of the elves to the lush hedgerows of the Shire, from the root cellars of the dwarves to the scavenged stores of the orcs, the ripe harvest is ready for preservation. In the flowering orchards of Gondor and windswept fields of Rohan, the peoples of Middle Earth busy themselves with preserving the harvest. Step into the well-stocked pantries of Middle Earth to sample the plentiful stores and carefully preserved goods to enjoy the bounty of spring and summer all year round.
A Rohan Pantry
From the banks of the rivers Isen and Anduin, and across wind swept plains, the people of Rohan look to gather and preserve summer's bounty. Gathered from thickets along winding streams, ripened blackberries warmed by the hot sun are a true summer delight. The juicy berries are blended with sweet honey mead and cooked into a sweet and tangy jam, while fragrant woodsy thyme adds herbaceous notes to the berry preserve. In the waning golden days of the Riddermark, the pantries of Edoras are beginning to grow with the plentiful harvest in anticipation of cooler days ahead.
With a short growing season, the height of summer is perfect for enjoying blackberries. For more ways to enjoy them, try our blackberry almond tart or blackberry balsamic and brie grilled cheese, or for another fruit and flower jelly from the pantries of Middle Earth, try our hobbit raspberry lavender jelly.
Ingredients for Blackberry Mead Jam
Blackberries: You can use fresh or frozen blackberries in this jam.
Mead: Mead, or honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of honey and water. Mead has a mild honey flavour and there are sweet and dry varieties. For this jam I used a plain sweet mead. I sourced a local mead from Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm and Meadery. To make this recipe alcohol-free, simply omit the mead, it won't affect the overall finished product.
Thyme: A bundle of fresh thyme adds a subtle herbal note. You can either wrap the thyme leaves in cheesecloth to prevent any leaves from falling off into the jam or just leave the bundle tied with twine.
Sugar: I recommend using granulated sugar to make this jam.
Honey: I swapped some of the sugar in this recipe for honey to really pick up the honey notes in the mead.
Butter: This is a little trick that I learned from my mother. A small pat of butter will help reduce the foam when cooking jam. While it certainly makes things a bit easier, it is entirely optional and you can simply omit it. You may just need to skim the jam a little more frequently.
Canning Equipment
Home canning requires some specific tools and equipment to ensure food safety and quality. Here is a list of some equipment you well need in order to home can as well as a few optional tools that aren't strictly necessary but nice to have anyway. It is important that all tools used are clean before you start to avoid contamination.
- Clean towels and cloths - Have a couple of clean tea towels and cloths ready to go before you being canning. You will want one towel to spread out on the counter where you fill the jars as well another towel to dry off the sterilized lids. You will need two cloths: one dry and one damp. The damp cloth will be used to clean the rim of the jar before adding the lid and the dry one to hold the hot jar while sealing the top.
- Hotplate - Keep a hotplate or rack near your canning station for the hot pot. You should be canning your product while hot so you will need the pot nearby when you're ready to fill the jars.
- Funnel and ladle - A funnel will make it so much easier to fill the jars. It's important to keep the rim of the jars clean to ensure a perfect seal. A funnel will help prevent spills and keep the rim clean as you ladle the filling into the jars.
- Jars, rings, and lids - All jars and lids need to be sterilized before canning. I like to sterilize one or two jars and lids than is called for in the recipe. You won't have the time to sterilize more if you end up with more filling than jars. While the jars and rings can be reused, you will need to use new snap lids each time you can to ensure they seal properly, unless you have ones that are labelled reusable. To sterilize the jars, wash the jars and then place on a baking sheet in a 250°F oven for at least 15 to 20 minutes. To sterilize the snap lids, place them in a small saucepan of water over medium heat. Allow the water to get hot, just below a simmer, but do not boil or it could damage the rubber seal.
- Water bath canner - For most home canning items you will need to use a water bath canner. This large pot includes a rack used to lower the jars into boiling water. Some items, such as high sugar jams and jellies can be canned without use of a water bath if the temperature is kept very hot throughout the canning process. However, water bathing will add an extra layer of protection and safety if you are concerned about canning safely.
- Jar lifter and magnetic lid lifter - A jar lifter will make removing hot jars from the water bath much easier so it's good to have if possible. A magnetic lid lifter is convenient to have to lift the snap lids from the hot water, although it isn't strictly necessary; you could use tongs instead.
- Thermometer - An instant read thermometer will help ensure that you reach the correct temperature while cooking your product. If you plan on doing a lot of canning, then there are specific spatulas that you can buy which include a built in thermometer. That way you can keep an eye on the temperature while stirring.
How to Blackberry Mead Jam
1. Gather the canning equipment
The first step in making preserves is to gather your equipment and sterilize the jars. Fill a water bath canner half way with water. Remove the rack and set aside. Place the canner over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Fill a kettle with water and bring to a boil – you may need more hot water to add to the canner once you've added the jars.
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Make sure the jars are clean. Then place the jars on a baking sheet in the oven for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Add the canning lids to a small saucepan with water and place over low heat in barely simmering water. Gather together clean tea towels, both a damp and dry cloth, a ladle, tongs, funnel, and thermometer and have ready to go. Have a potholder ready for the hot pot. If using, gather your jar lifter and magnetic lid lifter.
2. Prep the ingredients
Wash the blackberries and transfer to a large pot. Use a masher to mash the berries down to a pulp. It's okay if there are a few large berries left. Add the sugar, ½ cup of the mead, honey, and lemon juice. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Tie the thyme leaves into a bundle. Wrap with cheesecloth if desired.
3. Cook the jam
Place the pot over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Optionally, add a teaspoon of butter to help prevent the jam from foaming. Add the thyme bundle. Maintain the boil, adjusting the temperature to prevent the jam from boiling over. Skim periodically to remove any excess foam. The jam will be fairly runny at this point but should thicken over time.
Continue to boil the jam, stirring constantly until it reaches a temperature of 220°F and has thickened. This will take from 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the thyme bundle and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoon mead.
4. Can the jam
Transfer the pot to the potholder on the counter. Use tongs to remove a jar from the oven and place on a tea towel. Use the funnel and ladle to fill the jar with the hot jam, leaving a half inch space from the top.
Use the damp cloth to wipe the rim of the jar to clean any spills. Use the magnetic lid lifter to remove one of the snap lids from the hot water and wipe dry with a clean tea towel. Place the snap lid on the jar. Hold the jar with the dry cloth and firmly screw on the ring lid. Repeat with the remaining jam.
5. Water bath the jam
Arrange the sealed jars on the canner rack. Gently lower the rack into the canner, dipping it a few times in the hot water to temper the jars before lowering the rack completely into the canner. Make sure the water completely covers the jars by at least an inch or two. Add more boiling water from the kettle if needed. Cover the canner and bring to a rolling boil. Once the water comes to a full boil, set the timer for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, carefully lift the rack out of the water and hook over the edge of the canner. Use a jar lifter to remove the jars. Carefully blot any water off the lids with paper towel, making sure not to press down on the lids and create a false seal if they haven't sealed during the water bath. The jars should seal within a few minutes after the water bath.
6. Serve the Blackberry Mead Jam with Honey and Thyme
A properly sealed jar will make a small popping sound as the lid seals, and the top will go from looking rounded to indented. Any jar that hasn’t sealed can be stored in the fridge and used within a few weeks. Sealed jars can be labelled and stored in the pantry for at least a year. When opening the jar, check that it is still sealed and for any signs of mold or spoiling, discarding if you notice any spoilage. Enjoy!
This blackberry preserve pairs perfectly with a rustic no knead rye bread straight from the busy kitchens of Rohan!
More Pantry Recipes from Middle Earth
- Rhubarb Shallot Relish
- Chive Blossom Butter
- Spiced Rhubarb Jam
- Raspberry Lavender Jelly
- Pickled Mustard Seeds
- Wild Mushroom Seasoning Salt
- Spiced Apple Butter
