Crafty Satisfaction: Raspberry Jam

The art of homemaking/homecrafting is of great interest to me -- especially as I feel that many household skills are becoming obsolete. Canning is one of these. I can remember making jam from freshly picked strawberries in the summer, but it has been a long time since I ventured into the canning world.

When I found out that a local woman here in town makes a couple of trips each summer to a "nearby" raspberry farm (nearby in Wyoming terms meaning 3 hours), I immediately signed up to share a whole plat with my boss. I was even more thrilled to find out that the berries came from a place that the husband and I used to visit in the summer to get raspberry shakes while we were still just dating. 

I admit, we used to first 2 pints of berries to make delicious raspberry shakes and relive that first summer living together. But, as I had just bought a couple of packages of blueberries at the store, I decided that it was a good opportunity to make some raspberry and blueberry jams!

Following the jam instructions on Pick Your Own, I successfully made enough jam to hold us over for quite some time! In fact, I do believe that it will make wonderful shakes well into 2010...

After gathering your berries and supplies (see the PYO website for a detailed list), make sure that your jars are sterilized and ready and that your berries are likewise cleaned and dried. I then pulsed the berries in my food processor to get them good and mashed. 

Based on your berries and pectin, measure out the sugar and mix wit pectin. Mix with the berries. Add to a stockpot or other large pot and bring to a full boil. At the same time, you should also boil your jar lids for 3-5 minutes.

Add the remainder of the sugar to the berries and bring to a boil again over medium heat (PYO says that this reduces foaming). Remove from heat. Skim foam off the top. 

You're now ready to fill your jars! Be careful not to fill the jar completely -- and don't forget to wipe the rim of the jar before sealing! This is definitely where anice funnel comes in handy. When you're ready, carefully lower the jars into a boiling water bath. The time of the bath will depend on your altitude. Remove from the water bath and let cool, at least overnight, at room temperature.

I made the raspberry and blueberry jams the same way -- with tasty results! Have more questions, see the FAQs from Pick Your Own here. Thanks for stopping by to share this little taste of heaven!