Active Time

　　5 min

　　Total Time

　　3 days (includes time for flavors to develop)

　　In the discussion of preserving fruit By canning versus freezing, why doesn't this technique ever come up? Peacock credits the late Edna Lewis for teaching him to mix mashed fruit with sugar for a sort of jam that he says keeps for a year when refrigerated. (We only tested up to one month, but so far, so good.) "It's a very old-fashioned method," he says. "The flavor is fresh and intense and delicious spooned onto hot Buttered Buttermilk Biscuits or Yeast Rolls ." Try it with raspberries or strawberries, too.

Ingredients

　　3 cups fresh blackberries or 3/4 pound frozen blackberries, thawed and drained

　　3 cups granulated sugar

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　Mash berries with sugar and salt in a bowl with a potato masher until berries are liquefied and sugar has dissolved. Let stand, covered and chilled, 3 days (to allow flavors to develop), stirring once a day.

　　Cooks' notes:

　　·Do not purée berries in a food processor or blender, which will pulverize the seeds and impart a bitter taste.

　　·Sugared berries keep, chilled, 1 month.