Raspberry Jam

The market had cases of raspberries on sale today.  We have a raspberry patch in our backyard but we reserve those for fresh eating not jam.  The raspberries I bought today weren't as flavorful as the varieties that we grow but they made a great jam.

I assembled my supplies and equipment; got my bottle lids softening in boiling hot water;  and picked through my raspberries (you don't want leaves or stems in the jam).  Berries don't last long and you never, ever want to wash them until you are ready to use them as they will mold quickly when wet.  Even though these berries were very fresh and I used them the same day I bought them, I found several moldy berries in each clam-shell.  Even one bad berry will ruin your batch so do go through them individually and carefully before washing  and mashing them.

Now wash and mash your berries (not too much, we're making jam not jelly).

 I don't like too many seeds in my jam so I push about half of the mashed berries through a strainer (not a chinois, because we want the pulp) and then I discard the seeds. You will need a few extra cups of berries if you do this but I think it is worth not having all those seeds in your finished product.  I could make jelly but I like having the pulp in the jam.  Add the pulp to the other mashed berries, measure out the correct amount now that they are mashed and put the fruit into a large stockpot or heavy bottomed pan.  Follow your recipe instructions.  Ladle into jars.  My ladle holds exactly 6 oz. so one generously full ladle adequately filled my half pint jars.  Process in a boiling water bath.  Remember to add extra time to the recipe's processing time for higher altitudes.  A good recipe should tell you  how to do adjust for different altitudes.

Remove the processed jars from the bath and let them cool.  Listen for the "ping" that the lids make as they seal. Jump for joy when all 12 jars seal!  If you find that one doesn't seal, just store it in the refrigerator and use it first.
I didn't have enough berries left in the case to make another batch so I saved one box to eat for breakfast (hopefully they won't go bad before then) and I froze the rest on a cookie sheet.  When they are frozen solid I'll pack them into containers.  This way I can take out only as many berries as I need later instead of having to defrost them all because they are frozen individually and are not stuck together.

I used the recipe from the Sure-Jell pectin box and got 12 half pints of jam out of 1 batch.  The jam is tart and tangy and oh so good.  Raspberry jam always gets eaten first at our house. I can't wait for the  backyard berries to ripen!

I've submitted this post to Two for Tuesdays.  Check it out to see what others are doing with Real Food.