Zitácuaro Blackberry Jam (Mermelada de Zarzamora)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food-safe cazo de cobre or heavy enameled pot
• •Wooden pala or long wooden spoon
• •Candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer
• •Small chilled plate for set testing
• •Four half-pint canning jars with new lids
• •Water-bath canner or deep pot with rack
• •Jar lifter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the jars

   Wash four half-pint jars, lids, and bands in hot soapy water. Keep the jars hot while you cook the jam. Set a small plate in the freezer for testing the set later. Jam work begins before the fruit hits the fire. A dirty jar ruins good fruit. Así se hace y punto.

2. 2

   Pick over the fruit

   Spread the zarzamoras on a tray and remove stems, pale berries, bruised berries, and leaves. Rinse gently and drain well. Crush about one third of the berries with your hand or a wooden spoon, leaving the rest whole. You want body in the jar, not a smooth purple paste.

3. 3

   Macerate with piloncillo

   Combine the berries, grated piloncillo, limón criollo juice, and sal de grano in a wide bowl. Let them sit for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the piloncillo starts to melt into dark syrup and the berries give off their juice. This rest saves you from scorching the fruit at the start.

4. 4

   Start the cazo

   Scrape everything into a clean food-safe cazo de cobre or a heavy enameled pot. Do not use aluminum. Set over medium heat and stir with a wooden pala until the piloncillo is fully dissolved. Copper is the proper vessel for this Michoacán dulce, but it must be clean, bright, and free of any green spots. The fruit cooks in copper. It does not sit there overnight.

5. 5

   Reduce the jam

   Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until the berries collapse and the syrup turns glossy and wine-dark, 25 to 35 minutes. Skim off any pale foam with a spoon. Watch the edges of the cazo. Piloncillo can catch if you walk away. The women at the Feria de la Conserva do not abandon the pot, and neither do you.

   If the bubbles look thin and watery, keep cooking. When they grow heavier and slower, the sugar is concentrating and the jam is close.
6. 6

   Test the set

   The jam is ready at 220F, or 104C to 105C, on a candy thermometer. If you are using the freezer plate, drop a spoonful on the cold plate, wait 30 seconds, then push it with your finger. It should wrinkle softly and leave a clean trail. No powdered pectin. No me vengas con atajos. This preserve sets because the fruit, piloncillo, acid, and patience did their work.

7. 7

   Fill the jars

   Ladle the hot jam into the hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth, set on the lids, and tighten the bands fingertip tight. Work neatly. Sticky rims make bad seals, and bad seals waste the huerto.

8. 8

   Process for storage

   Place the jars on a rack in a water-bath pot and cover with water by at least 1 inch. Process 10 minutes at sea level. Add time for altitude: 15 minutes total at 1001 to 3000 feet, 20 minutes at 3001 to 6000 feet, and 25 minutes at 6001 to 8000 feet. Zitácuaro sits high, so use 25 minutes there. Remove the jars and let them rest undisturbed for 12 hours.

9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Check that the lids sealed, then label the jars with the date. Let the jam rest at least 24 hours before opening so the texture settles. Serve with pan de Tingüindín, pan de Tancítaro, or a spoonful of fresh requesón. This is not a chile dish. This is Michoacán fruit, piloncillo, and copper. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •If the zarzamoras at the market are pale, hard, or watery, do not make this jam that day. Cook what the market is selling well. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Use piloncillo oscuro, not refined sugar. It gives the jam a deeper cane flavor and a darker finish. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •A cazo de cobre must be food-safe and clean. If you see green corrosion, do not use it. Cook the jam in copper, then move it into glass jars. Never store acidic fruit in copper.
• •Frozen blackberries can work if they were picked ripe. Thaw them in a bowl and use every drop of the juice. They will give a softer set, so cook by thermometer, not by hope.
• •Do not add cinnamon, vanilla, chile de árbol, or chile ancho because you think every Mexican jar needs decoration. This one is zarzamora and piloncillo. That is enough.
• •If you skip the water-bath process, refrigerate the jars and eat the jam within 4 weeks. Pantry storage requires a proper seal. Recetas probadas y garantizadas means you respect the safety steps too.

Advance Preparation

• •The berries can macerate with piloncillo, limón, and salt for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator before cooking.
• •Processed and sealed jars keep up to 1 year in a cool dark pantry. Refrigerate after opening and eat within 1 month.
• •The jam tastes rounder after 2 days, when the piloncillo and blackberry acidity settle into each other.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 20g)