Oh, it’s definitely coming up on raspberry season. But our raspberry bushes aren’t quite ready to provide us with a bounty yet, and hubby was fresh out of raspberry jam, his favorite. So I splurged and got a bunch of organic raspberries this week from the grocer, and made him a little treat to cheer up his breakfast toast!
This recipe takes a little bit of time, mainly because I pureé the raspberries first in my Vitamix blender, then I strain them through cheesecloth. This really does help make this a true seedless jam.
Because it’s refrigerator-set, it doesn’t need to go the hot-bath route (thankfully, because real canning terrifies me. What if I kill someone with botulism?), so these freezer jams will last in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, and in the freezer for about 1 year.
What You Need:
3 cups pureéd raspberries (strained through your cheesecloth)
1.5 cups apple juice
3 Tablespoons Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
1.5 cups granulated sugar, or 3/4 cup to 1 cup honey
What You’ll Do:
- Over medium heat, gradually whisk the pectin into the fruit juice until dissolved. Bring to a full boil that cannot be stirred down, continuing to stir frequently.
- Keep that hard rolling boil going for about 1 minute, while continuing to stir.
- Remove from heat.
- Immediately add your prepared raspberry pureé into the hot pectin mixture, stirring like a madman for about 1.5 minutes! Then stir in your sugar or honey.
- With your ladle, and one of those nifty canning funnels, leaving about 1/2″ headspace. Apply the lids loosely, and let jam stand in fridge until set, but no longer than 24 hours.
- It’s all ready to eat now! Refrigerate these for no more than 3 weeks, or place them in the freezer for up to one year!
(This recipe is modified from one that I found in a Ball Freezer Jar cookbook a bunch of years ago.)