RASPBERRY JAM

RASPBERRY JAM

I don't spend ALL my time playing at the lake, sometimes I play in the kitchen! Making raspberry jam is such a long process, but I love to eat my PB&J every day and this is my favorite jam!  First I have to grow those raspberries. We put nets over these to protect them from the birds and also water them thoroughly once a week.

I pick berries every morning, but we only get a small bowl each day so I freeze them until there are enough for a batch of jam.  One thing about using frozen raspberries is that they crumble easily so I don't have to crush them.  The jam turns out just about the perfect consistency that way.  I measure all my ingredients following the directions in the box of Sure Jell to make cooked jam.

During the whole process, I wear rubber gloves. That way I can wash my hands in HOT water, stir without worrying about getting hot jam splashed on me, put the jars in boiling water without getting burned, etc.

I always process my canned jam in a boiling water bath

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I was only kidding about it being long and hard to make jam. Especially since we grow our own berries, the end product is worth the effort! I know I'm eating as close to nature as possible too! I can be convinced to share some of this deliciousness with you.  It can be shipped, delivered or you can come and get it! I'm sure it tastes great on things besides PB&J sandwiches...how about on biscuits, toast or ice cream?

Jammin!

Here’s the short version: I made a batch of raspberry jam and two batches of strawberry jam. The long version: I was cleaning out the freezer and digging for something that I wanted to have for supper when I came across the raspberries we put away last fall when I ran out of jelly jars. Since I have just used up the last of the jam and had empty jars, it was time to make more! There’s nothing quite like a peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwich for lunch. Then I decided that if I was going to the trouble of sterilizing jars and cooking up jam, I should just keep cooking. When it’s a cloudy rainy day, I love to stay busy in the kitchen. Plus the strawberries are so tasty this time of year it’s great that I can put that flavor away to enjoy all year! And at 99 cents a pound it was very affordable to purchase enough to make five cups of crushed berries that the recipe calls for to make jam. I always use Sure Jell and follow the recipes that come in the package. Thankfully JoPapa is willing to run to the store and lend a helping hand when I need it in the kitchen. The raspberry jam looks perfect and the sample I tasted was delicious if not just a little too thick. Guess I’ll have to suffer through that! The strawberries are just as delicious and since the first batch came out so nice, JoPapa went to the store again this morning for more even though the sun is shining. I’ll head into the sun when the dishes are done. One of the best parts of making my own jam is the clean up. Really! While the jam is processing in the water-bath canner, I get to lick the spoon, the scraper, the pan, the drips on the counter… You get the idea! Jars can be shipped – for a fee of course!