Quick & Easy Old-Fashioned Berry Jam

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Posted by Stephanie | Posted in Fruits | Posted on 06-05-2009

Blueberry Spartan

This is a quick and easy, old-fashioned jam recipe, perfect for
creating a personalized gift from your very own garden or simply
ensuring that your abundant berry harvest doesn't go to waste.

Jellies
and jams start the same way, with a bowl of fresh fruit from your
garden. The main difference is Jellies are clear, made only from the
fruit juice, and Jams are chunky, consisting of the the juice, seeds,
and fruit body. Jam is my favorite, and it is easier. You don't even
need any pectin.

Suggested Materials:

  1. Canning Jars (usually sold at most grocery stores)
  2. Jar Grabbers (Tongs made for canning, so you don't burn your hands)
  3. Jar Funnel (Or, you can just ladle your preserves into the jars if you wish)
  4. Canner (A pot large enough to submerge and boil your jars)
  5. A Blender/Food Processor/Magic Bullet/Potato Masher

Ingredients:

  1. Sugar
  2. About 5 lbs. of Fresh Berries from your garden
Park Seed currently offers:
Blueberries – 3 Varieties
Cranberries
Grapes – 2 Varieties
Strawberries – 4 varieties
Raspberries – 4 varieties
And many more.

You can use any fruit you like, mixing and matching as much as you like to find your own unique flavor.

Making The Jam

  1. After
    you've washed your fruit and removed all leaves and stems, crush,
    process, or blend it thoroughly – you want to release as much juice as
    you can.
  2. Measure your sugar. The mix will be about 2 parts
    sugar/3 parts fruit. So, if you have about 6 cups of crushed berries,
    measure out 4 cups of sugar. Work in smaller amounts, no more than 9-12
    cups of crushed fruit at a time, because more fruit requires longer to
    cook, and it will become too dark and bland.
  3. Put your berries in a pot and bring them to a boil, stirring
    constantly to prevent burning and sticking. Stir in sugar until it is
    dissolved and boil for about 5 minutes. Keep stirring, don't let the
    jam stick or burn.
  4. Ladle you jam into the jars, close the lids tight, and boil the whole jar in the canner for another 5-10 minutes.
  5. Remove your jars and let them cool overnight. You're done. Try not to jostle or bump your jars while they are hot.

It's that easy, delicious jam!

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