Berry Jam
Adapted from a European recipe found online and the Ball Blue Book (Hearthmark, 2011)
Equipment
- Large pot
- Thermometer
- Canner
- Pint or Half Pint jars
- Lids and Rings
Ingredients
- 2000 g (2 kg) crushed berries blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, dewberry, gooseberry, loganberry, raspberry, youngberry
- 1600 g sugar (80% by weight of berries)
- 4 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepot. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly to gelling point (see notes). As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary (or not, doesn't affect taste).
- Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace (½-inch if using reusable canning lids). Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Makes about 5 pints.
Notes
Gelling point at 1,000 ft (305 m) elevation is reached when the mixture is 218-220℉. See this ThermoWorks article for other elevation ranges.
Seedless Jam: if preferred, crushed berries may be heated until soft and pressed through a sieve or food mill; measure pulp and process as above.
Recipe may be halved, but doubling is not recommended.