I made jam! Raspberry and boysenberry

dusty's mom

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I just love berries, and I just learned to make jam, and it is delicious - much better than even the finest store-bought! And it's easy!

I just followed the recipe on the PINK Sure-Jell package. Basically you use 5 cups of crushed berries, 4 cups sugar, 1 pkg PINK Sure-Jell and 1/2 tsp butter (to reduce foaming). You will need a jar funnel and a lid lifter, and of course, jars and lids (available at Winco).

I bought a flat of boysenberries at the local farmer's market, and 1/2 flat of raspberries at Costco. With the raspberries, it actually took an additional basket, for a total of 7 baskets. They are Driscoll brand, and hold less than a typical basket bought at a roadside stand. Problem is no one grows raspberries around here! The flat of boysenberries made 14 jars (1 cup each) and the raspberries made 7 jars (one I added an extra basket).
 

c1atsite

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mmm
One of my favorite custom desserts ever is crumbled shortbread with raspberry jam. Something about the berry flavor combined with the shortbread flavor sends me into a tizzy. I find them perfect for each other!
 

farleyv

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Oh yea, homemade jam!! I made some rhubarb jam. I couldn't convince my 8 year old grand daughter it wasn't strawberry!! She just takes a spoon and eats it out of the jar!!

It is a rite of spring around here to be making jams and jellies. I have a couple blueberry bushes that yield about 4 quarts per season. Not alot, but then again, not many make it back up to the house!!

It makes you feel good to look at the finished product all red and shiny in the jars.

It doesn't take much to make me happy.
 

calico2222

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I've seen Sure-jell in the market and wondered how well it worked. I just might have to try it since the blackberries will be ripe soon. Do you have to have the sealed mason jars? We have a ton of jars but we need to get new lids for them.

I remember my mom making jelly and jam when I was a kid. Talk about a LOT of work! This way sounds SO much easier!
 

natalie_ca

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Yum!!! Sounds yummy!

As you discovered, jam is very easy to make. It's also possible to make something called "freezer jam". A friend of mine used to make it and it was yummy. I never tried to make it though.

About 10 years ago I decided to try my hand at canning. I had great fun. I made dill pickles, sweet mixed pickles, pepper jelly, marmalade, strawberry jam, pickled watermelon rinds and I forget what else.

I can't say I saved any money, and in fact I sure it cost me money. I only did it once and I had to buy all of the jars (large to small) and I don't drive, so I bought the produce at local markets, which is more costly than farmers markets found on the side of highways. But I had fun and the end results were yummy anyway!

I still have some marmalade. The contents have changed colour and is dark, but the seal is still in tact and I checked with the Bernardin Home Economist and she said the marmalade is still good. She went on to explain some chemical reaction that causes the colour change, but it doesn't affect the product taste or safety.

One thing to know when you are canning, when you store your goods don't store them with the lid ring on them. Just the flat disk. The ring is only used for the canning process and for storage of the item after it's been open.
 
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dusty's mom

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Originally Posted by calico2222

I've seen Sure-jell in the market and wondered how well it worked. I just might have to try it since the blackberries will be ripe soon. Do you have to have the sealed mason jars? We have a ton of jars but we need to get new lids for them.

I remember my mom making jelly and jam when I was a kid. Talk about a LOT of work! This way sounds SO much easier!
If you have canning jars but not the lids, you can buy the lids and rings separately. Just make sure that they are canning jars, and not empty peanut butter jars, etc., though some sauce jars may work - see link below.

It only takes about an hour to make a batch of jam, and it isn't hard at all! And the quality of the flavor is incredible compared to the over sugared store bought stuff.

Here's a good resource, but I follow the recipe in the Sure-Jell package:

http://www.pickyourown.org/jam.htm
 

Winchester

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I love homemade jams and preserves! We don't eat it on toast or muffins, but I love to experiment with them to make different BBQ sauces and marinades. My GF just made some pineappe-rhubarb preserves and gave me two jars. It's delicious combined with spices and herbs and used on chicken and pork. Yum!

I use them to fill cookies, too.

Congratulations on your jams!
 
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dusty's mom

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Originally Posted by Catkiki

My all-time favorite pie is boysenberry pie. You can hardly find it in stores anymore.
Boysenberries are yummy!!

Wait until Marie Calendar has their $6.99 pie sale and go buy their razzleberry pie. It is outstanding, especially with some vanilla bean ice cream! The razzleberry has raspberries, blackberries and boysenberries. They also sell a plain boysenberry pie. We bought the razzleberry one last week. I don't know if the pie sale is still on.
 

ldg

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Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sounds YUMMY!


I love love love homemade preserves and pickled things.
My maternal grandparents were farmers, and we always visited in August - just in time for the raspberry harvest. It was spent canning and freezing vegies, making pickles, and lots of preserves. She always poured wax over the top of the preserves (like 1/2 inch of it) before sealing the jars.
 

c1atsite

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Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

Wait until Marie Calendar has their $6.99 pie sale and go buy their razzleberry pie. It is outstanding, especially with some vanilla bean ice cream! The razzleberry has raspberries, blackberries and boysenberries.
Oh my! I'll keep my eyes open

Mmmm stop
I can picture myself eating that pie with shortbread
 
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