Raspberry Jam Recipe
This raspberry jam recipe is made by first cooking your fresh raspberries into a sauce where you add pectin to thicken and then using a canner to process the jam.
Ingredients
4 cups of crushed raspberries1 cup of unsweetened apple juice
1 pkg (49 g) PECTIN (Choose a NO SUGAR NEEDED NAME BRAND FRUIT PECTIN)
1 to 3 cups of granulated sugar
OR up to one cup honey (sweeten to suite your taste)
Yield approximately SIX 250ml jars of jam * If you want more, start from scratch rather than doubling the recipe.
Directions
PREPARE THE JARS
Wash your jars in hot soapy water and rinse well.
Place your clean mason jars on your canner rack in the canning pot. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars and heat until the water boils, then shut the heat off. Leave the jars in the water bath until you need them. This will sterilize the jars.
Place the lids and the seals in a saucepan. Boil some water in a kettle and pour over the lids and seals.
Keep both the jars and lids in the water bath hot until ready to use.
This will sterilize the tops.
WHY NO SUGAR ADDED PECTIN?
This type of pectin allows you to vary the type of sweetener, e.g. sugar or honey and the amount of sweetener you decide to use.
PREPARE THE FRUIT
Use raspberries that are washed.
Crush the raspberries with a potato masher.
Crush enough raspberries to make 4 cups.
Place the crushed berries in a large saucepan and stir in the Pectin until dissolved.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a long handled wooden spoon. Stir in the sugar or honey to taste.
Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for three minutes.
Stir occasionally to be sure it is not scorching on the bottom. Shut off and if there is any foam, skim off the top.
Remove your jars from the hot water using canning jar tongs. Line the jars up on the counter top.
Quickly ladle the hot jam into the warm jars, filling to within 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) of the top of jar. This is called headspace in canning.
Leaving this headspace is very important so that the lids will seal properly.
If you see any air bubbles in the jam, use a wooden spoon to pop the bubbles and carefully spoon a little more jam into the jar ensuring the proper space is left.
Use a CLEAN damp paper towel to wipe the jar rims removing any jam residue, this is very important or the jars will not seal.
Place the cleaned seal top lid on the clean jar, then screw the jar band down tightly until you start to feel resistance.
Screw the jar a little bit tighter, using light strength. Don't use full strength to tighten.
Place each jar on the canner rack.
There will already be warm water in the canner from when you cleaned the jars.
Add whatever amount of water you need to be sure that the jars are covered with water one inch deep.
Bring the water in the canner to a boil and process the jars for 20 minutes.
Remove the jars from the canner, using a canning jar handle tong, without tilting. Be careful, this is very hot. Place the hot jars onto a thick towel as the jars will be dripping with water.
Cool upright, undisturbed for 24 hours; and do not re-tighten the screw band.
When the jam jars are cooled, check the jar seals.
If the lids are popped inwards, they have sealed.
If you push on the top, and it makes a clicking sound you know that jar did not seal.
If a jar does not seal keep, just keep that jar of jam in the refrigerator and use first.
The jam will last weeks, refrigerated, even if it did not seal.
The rest of the jam can be kept in your pantry.