Blackberry Syrup & Watermelon Blackberry Granita

Today (July 22nd), Ball brand is hosting it’s sixth annual Can-It-Forward Day. (You may recall my last post on Can-It-Forward Day, where I canned on my own for the very first time to make salsa.) Can-It-Forward day is a day to celebrate the joys of fresh preserving, and encourage both new and veteran canners to preserve more. This year, the day will be streamed online via Facebook Live from 10:00 am 3:30 pm EST. Throughout the day, the Ball brand and expert ambassadors will be demoing a variety of canning recipes. In the true spirit of “canning it forward,” for every engagement received on the videos, whether it be a comment, like or share, the brand donate $1 to a local charity, so be sure to check it out!

You can also ask Jarden Home Brands canning experts any preserving or home canning questions via Twitter with the hashtag #canitforward from 10AM – 5PM ET on July 22nd. Share your own #canitforward creations with the brand on Pinterest and Instagram as well!

Ball brand has also launched the Freshly Preserved Ideas Tumblr page, a “digital pledge page” a place for consumers to take the pledge to Can-It-Forward this year. Check it out and pledge!

To celebrate, I was sent The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving, a Case of Collection Elite Wide Mouth Pint Jars, one $5 off coupon to be used on FreshPreservingStore.com.

I really loved the new canning book from Ball; along with canning and preserving recipes, there are many recipes that incorporate the canned/preserved items.

source: freshpreserving.com/

I wanted to show off how great both types of recipes found in the book are, so I made a blackberry syrup to can, and used it in a watermelon blackberry granita.

The blue wide mouth pint jars are SO PRETTY. I have been using a set of the regular mouth blue pint jars as my drinking glasses for years so I was excited to use the wide mouth for their actual intended use!

source: freshpreserving.com/

I will get to the canning and recipes shortly, BUT Ball brand was also kind enough to provide a second set of the products I received as a giveaway to my readers! Details on how to enter will be at the end of the post!

Ingredients:

For Blackberry Syrup:

• 3 lbs blackberries
• 2 cups water
• 2 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice

For Watermelon-Blackberry Granita:

• 8 cups seeded watermelon cubes
• 1/2 cup Blackberry Syrup
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Gear:

• stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven
• wire-mesh strainer
• 3 pint jars, lids, and bands
• large pot for canning + a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot
• cheesecloth
• 13×9 inch baking dish

So, since my last post, I’ve upgraded my canning situation to the Ball Fresh Preserving Kit. However, for beginners, you really can’t beat the value of the Beginners Kit that I used last year to make the salsa. On to the recipes!

Prep all of your ingredients and set aside. Wash your jars, lids, and bands in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Keep the jars warm until they are ready to use (you can either add them to a pot of simmering water, or I just added them to my dishwasher during the heated dry cycle). The reason you want them to stay warm is so that they don’t break when you fill them with the hot syrup later on.

Add the blackberries and water to a 6 quart stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

Cook, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t boil, just a gentle simmer.

Remove from heat. Line a wire-mesh strainer with two layers of a dampened cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Pour the berry mixture into the strainer and let drain for 2 hours, or as needed to extract 4.5 cups juice. Do not press or squeeze the mixture.

Discard the solids and return the juice to the Dutch oven. Add the sugar, honey, and lemon juice. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium high heat and boil for 1 minute.

Take one jar, lid, and band out of wherever you have it warming. Ladle the syrup into the jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace (this is about to where the lowest screw line is on the jar – Ball sells a bubble remover and headspace tool to help you measure this out).

Remove air bubbles by pushing the non-metallic spatula (or the plastic headspace tool) around the inside edges of the jar. Air bubbles inside the jar may affect how well the jar seals. You also don’t want to use metal utensils because it can scratch the glass which can lead to breakage.

Wipe the rim to remove any particles of food that may prevent a vacuum seal using a clean, damp cloth.

Center the lid on the jar so that only the sealing compound (that orangy stuff) is in contact with the jar rim. Screw a band over the lid until fingertip-tight. Don’t make the bands any tighter than fingertip tight; remaining air inside the jar must be able to escape during canning so that a seal forms. Repeat with the remaining jars.

Fill a large stockpot with enough water to cover the jars with at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil. Boil jars for 10 minutes (if you’re in higher altitudes, the times are different and will require a longer time to boil depending on the altitude.) After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let jars stand in the water for 5 minutes.

After the jars are cool (it will take a good 8-12 hours), check the seal by tapping on the top in the center of the lid. If it pops, the jar didn’t seal correctly. (You can try to reseal it by removing the lid and band, cleaning off the rim, and adding a new lid and adding it back to simmering water for 10 minutes, or you can just add that jar to your fridge and use it in the next week or so. There is nothing “wrong” with that jar’s ingredients, it just didn’t seal properly so should be eaten sooner.)

To make the Watermelon-Blackberry Granita, add the watermelon, in batches, to a blender and process until liquefied.

Pour into a 13×9 inch baking dish and stir in the blackberry syrup and lime juice.

Freeze for 3 hours or until ice crystals form, stirring every 30 minutes.

Place a 2 quart container with a tight-fitting lid in the freezer for 10 minutes. Transfer the granita to the chilled container and store in the freezer. Let the mixture stand in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before serving.

The granita can be served as is, or with a splash of vodka or rum to make a yummy adult treat. (I’d suggest using gin!)

I love how fresh tasting this granita is. The blackberry syrup holds its own against the watermelon and makes for a really refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

The syrup would also be delicious added to some iced lemonade, or drizzled over ice cream, yum!

Ready for the giveaway? Enter using the widget below! Good luck and be sure to check out Can-It-Forward Day today!

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Blackberry Syrup & Watermelon-Blackberry Granita #CanItForward

Ingredients

For Blackberry Syrup:
• 3 lbs blackberries
• 2 cups water
• 2 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice
For Watermelon-Blackberry Granita:
• 8 cups seeded watermelon cubes
• 1/2 cup Blackberry Syrup
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Gear:
• stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven
• wire-mesh strainer
• 3 pint jars, lids, and bands
• large pot for canning + a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot
• cheesecloth
• 13×9 inch baking dish

Instructions

1. Prep all of your ingredients and set aside. Wash your jars, lids, and bands in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Keep the jars warm until they are ready to use (you can either add them to a pot of simmering water, or I just added them to my dishwasher during the heated dry cycle). The reason you want them to stay warm is so that they don’t break when you fill them with the hot syrup later on.
2. Add the blackberries and water to a 6 quart stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
3. Cook, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t boil, just a gentle simmer.
4. Remove from heat. Line a wire-mesh strainer with two layers of a dampened cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Pour the berry mixture into the strainer and let drain for 2 hours, or as needed to extract 4.5 cups juice. Do not press or squeeze the mixture.
5. Discard the solids and return the juice to the Dutch oven. Add the sugar, honey, and lemon juice. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium high heat and boil for 1 minute.
6. Take one jar, lid, and band out of wherever you have it warming. Ladle the syrup into the jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
7. Remove air bubbles by pushing the non-metallic spatula (or the plastic headspace tool) around the inside edges of the jar. Air bubbles inside the jar may affect how well the jar seals. You also don’t want to use metal utensils because it can scratch the glass which can lead to breakage.
8. Wipe the rim to remove any particles of food that may prevent a vacuum seal using a clean, damp cloth.
9. Center the lid on the jar so that only the sealing compound (that orangy stuff) is in contact with the jar rim. Screw a band over the lid until fingertip-tight. Don’t make the bands any tighter than fingertip tight; remaining air inside the jar must be able to escape during canning so that a seal forms. Repeat with the remaining jars.
10. After the jars are cool (it will take a good 8-12 hours), check the seal by tapping on the top in the center of the lid. If it pops, the jar didn’t seal correctly. (You can try to reseal it by removing the lid and band, cleaning off the rim, and adding a new lid and adding it back to simmering water for 10 minutes, or you can just add that jar to your fridge and use it in the next week or so. There is nothing “wrong” with that jar’s ingredients, it just didn’t seal properly so should be eaten sooner.)
11. To make the Watermelon-Blackberry Granita, add the watermelon, in batches, to a blender and process until liquefied.
12. Pour into a 13×9 inch baking dish and stir in the blackberry syrup and lime juice.
13. Freeze for 3 hours or until ice crystals form, stirring every 30 minutes.
14. Place a 2 quart container with a tight-fitting lid in the freezer for 10 minutes. Transfer the granita to the chilled container and store in the freezer. Let the mixture stand in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before serving.

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