It’s that time of year again… Time to break out the Canning Supplies and steam up the kitchen… And this past weekend I did just that. I still have about 2-3 weeks before raspberries begin to ripen in our backyard… So I thought it was as good a time as any to clear out the freezer of last years berry harvest and whip up a few batches of jam.
I think I might pass out scone mix and raspberry jam for teacher/neighbor/ hostess gits this year… I did it a few years ago and the gifts were well received so I think I’ll do it again… Last year I gave away cases of free pasta, shampoo and razors for Christmas… so I think this will be a nice change.
If you want to make your standard raspberry jam… All you need to do is follow the directions that are included in your pectin box. It’s pretty cut and dry. Sterilize your jars, get the water boiling in your hot water canner, combine 5 cups of crushed raspberries, pectin and a 1/2 tablespoon of butter (to help reduce foaming) in your pot and bring to a boil.
When the mixture gets all warm and bubbly and comes to a roiling boil… then add your 7… YES… I said 7 cups of sugar…
It’s amazing we all still have our teeth in this house…really it is. After you stir in the sugar return the mixture to a full boil again… this time for EXACTLY one minute (according to the directions… although I have no idea what would happen if you let it boil let’s say 1 minute 2 seconds… who knows?)… Then with a big spoon skim off any foamy stuff that’s sitting on top of your raspberry mixture.
Spoon into Canning Jars (the ones pictured above are my new favorite for gift giving ($4.19 for 4 jars at Target)…the occupants of this house however can eat their jam out of the old and boring 1/2 pint jars…but for gift giving… I think these are pretty darn cute!).
Put on the canning lid, and the canning ring and tighten…
Place in your hot water bath for 10 minutes (or longer depending on your altitude… it will tell you on the directions sheet in your pectin box).
Let cool…
And a fancy smancy sticker you had custom printed… (I got a deal on them from a Plum District offer several months ago)
Stack all nice and pretty so you can take a picture and have your Martha moment… Then pack ’em away til gift giving season arrives. 🙂
So… Mavis wants to know… Have you canned anything yet this season?
Thy Hand says
I canned peach jam from frozen peaches I had left over from last year. Your jam looks wonderful and I love the jars:-).
Mavis says
I heart peach jam… I love the way it smells.
Dawn says
I canned sweet pickle relish and diced tomatoes. Later this week I am planning to make salsa. My raspberry bushes are still small, but I dream of making my own raspberry jam.
Mavis says
I’ve never made sweet pickle relish… I’ve made zucchini relish though… JJ got me hooked on it.
sodbusters says
Oh really!? We do a lot of Zucchini around here. Was it more of a dill relish or a sweet relish? I’d be interested in trying to do that! 🙂
Michelle says
I love those little jars, too…perfect for gifts. Not so realistic for the fam…that amount would be gone in one sitting!
I haven’t canned a thing…not last year either. But we are about out of store bought strawberry jam…the strawberries down the road are ripe and delicious…so I think a canning session is coming up real soon around here. I should do it today or tomorrow…it’s gonne be in the 70’s…then back to 100 on Friday. wacky!!
Mavis says
Real… Rip Farm stand berries are the best! I think you should make some jam. 🙂
Jules says
I get to can jam every year, and I still love it. Can’t recall the last time I had to buy jam. But yeah, the sugar amount, ugh.. gets me every time.
Mavis says
I should seriously look into low sugar recipes… Hey… I bet it would be a money saver too!
zoedawn says
Hi Mavis! I do low sugar grape jelly and low sugar cherry jelly. Both are excellent…you can only tell a slight difference when they are eaten side by side with regular sugar ones but if you don’t do that, you’ll never know. I haven’t tried any low sugar jams but I don’t see why they wouldn’t be good, too.
Mavis says
Do you have the cherry recipe on your blog so I can try it?
brooke says
Yummmmmm!! Do I get some??
Mavis says
Maybe 🙂
Heather says
I saw someone else who made strawberry jam with a little bit of apple juice and I think she said it was a different kind of pectin (made for the apple juice kind) – I think. Anyway, she said it was wonderful and the apple juice only has a little bit of natural sugar instead of so much white sugar… If you are interested, let me know and I’ll give you the site 🙂
Mavis says
Yes. Please email it to me at onehundreddollarsamonth@gmail.com. Thanks Heather. 🙂
Becky says
I just made strawberry rhubarb jam and can’t wait for blueberries and raspberries…I was thinking a blueberry mint or some other herb? We shall see:) Then comes salsa and peaches and tomatoes…(insert happy sigh here).
I use an awesome site (in addition to my Ball book) http://www.pickyourown.org. It looks a little outdated, but the recipes have been wonderful. They tell you to use the no-sugar pectin and you can reduce your sugar to 4 cups for the batch vs. 7. I haven’t tried it yet, but I have the pectin ready for the next canning session.
zoedawn says
Mavis, I don’t have the cherry jelly recipe on my blog. I simply follow the directions on the low-sugar pectin box. Just make sure you get the correct pectin. Don’t try lowering the sugar using regular pectin.