Raspberry Jam

I had the opportunity to spend some time at our family house in Saskatchewan this past long weekend. Since Claudia is newly retired, she has been out there for almost a month and has left me fending for myself when it comes to blog recipes. When she greeted me at the door with a pail of freshly picked raspberries I knew we could easily make up for lost blog time.

Although I prefer Claudia’s Strawberry Freezer Jam, I still have a craving every now and then for raspberry jam. Again, this recipe is from the Certo box! Besides being raspberry, the main difference is that this jam is cooked. But don’t let that intimidate you. It’s actually very easy. Plus, the great thing about cooked jam is that it can be stored up to a year on the shelf unopened.

You will need:

7 cups white sugar
1 package pectin crystals (we use Certo)
5 cups crushed fresh raspberries

Before you begin preparing your jam you need to take the important step of sterilizing your lids and jars.

To sterilize your lids, place them in boiling water until you are ready to use them.

 To sterilize your jars, place them in a 225 degree fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes.

They should be kept warm until you are ready to use.

Spread a single layer of raspberries on a baking sheet.

Using a potato smasher, crush the raspberries, leaving some chunks.

Again, it’s very important to crush them one layer at a time.

Measure 5 cups as directed.

If you prefer less seeds in your jam, you can work the crushed berries through a sieve.

I prefer texture to my jam, so I skipped this step.

Place all crushed berries into a large sauce pot and combine with your package of pectin crystals.

Stir well.

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Once berry mixture is at a boil, mix in all the sugar.

Return to a hard boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat.

Stir and skim the top foamy layer for 5 minutes to prevent floating fruit.

Pour jam into sterilized jars to 1/4 inch from rim.

Cover with lids and screw rings on tightly.

Let jars cool completely at room temperature.

Sweet, tart and delicious!

Enjoy!