Raspberry Jam

I made up a batch of raspberry jam today.  I had a small package of raspberries that I had frozen a little while ago and was able to get a couple of packages of frozen berries really cheap with a generous coupon.  I'm not much of a jam eater but my mother really likes it.  The rest of the family does too and my nephew, Ian dropped by today to help me with some heavy lifting so I repaid him with jam.

It's so simple to make homemade jam that it'll take longer to blog about it.  The most critical thing is sterilizing your bottles and you can refer to my post on chili sauce for detailed directions.

I put my berries in a large pot (3 3/4 cups of raspberries) and crush them with a potato masher.  Add 6 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of lemon juice.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute, stirring so it doesn't stick.  Take off the heat, add the Certo  and continue stirring for 5 minutes.  You have to  stir or your fruit will float to the top of your bottles and you'll have jelly in the bottom.

Then fill your sterilized bottles to 1/4 inch below the rim, gently place tops on and screw rings on tightly.  Set aside to cool.  If you have a part bottle, refrigerate and use it first.

Normally when I have warm jam, I enjoy a nice tea biscuit.  I'm trying to eat a little healthier so I had a muffin, no butter and a little jam.  It was really good.  Give it a try, you'll be surprised how easy it is and Certo gives you great directions.

Bye for now,

Julie