Raspberries
make a delicious jam, with a truly beautiful colour! Sweet with a slightly tart
flavour, enjoy raspberry jam with French toast, sponge cake, scones, pancakes,
waffles or swirled into yoghurt and muesli. Not just a condiment for breakfast
either – use it in a vinaigrette for salad, or in a marinade for pork or
chicken.
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Ingredients
for RASPBERRY JAM
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Yield: 6 cups
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Raspberries,
Fresh
or Thawed
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1kg (2.2 pounds)
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Powdered Pectin
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3 tablespoons (1 ½ oz) i.e. 50g Jamsetta)
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Lemon Juice
(Fresh or Bottled)
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2 tablespoons
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Sugar, White
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4 cups
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1. Clean jars (or bottles) and equipment by washing in hot soapy water
and rinsing well before use.
2. If using fresh raspberries: rinse berries gently with water and drain
carefully. Discard damaged berries (they can affect the jam flavour, reduce the
storage period and increase the risk of spoilage).
If using frozen raspberries: place frozen raspberries into
a bowl and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Any raspberry juice in the bowl
will be added to the recipe as part of the fruit weight.
3. Measure raspberries into a large pan and add the water. Bring to a
boil. Reduce heat to gentle simmer and cook (uncovered) for 10-15 minutes or
until raspberries are very soft, stirring every few minutes. Remove from heat.
Mash for a rustic jam (or puree for a smooth jam consistency). Strain part (or
all) of the mixture through a fine sieve to discard raspberry seeds, if
desired.
4. Prepare jars (if they require pre-heating, i.e. twist top jars) in a
pot lined with a cloth. Cover jars with water and bring to a boil, boiling for
10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot
water until ready to fill.
5. Place lids into a bowl. Cover with boiling water. Remove the lids from
the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.
6. Add the pectin and lemon juice to the jam pot. Whisk well. Bring to a
boil, as high as possible, and then add the sugar all at once. Whisk
well. Place jam pot onto heat. Whisk occasionally while the sugar dissolves, to
prevent the jam sticking to the pot base. Bring jam to a rolling boil (cannot
stir down, mixture will foam). Boil as hard as possible for 1 minute. Then turn
the heat off, skim foam from the surface and check for gel stage (jam
consistency).
7. Remove jars from hot water and place onto a heatproof surface i.e. tea
towel. Pour the hot raspberry jam into the hot jars to 0.5cm (1/4 inch) from
the rim
TIP: use a jug and jar funnel to fill jars.
8. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth to remove any jam residue.
9. Remove lids from hot water and seal jars
i.e. twist to secure “fingertip tight”.
10. Return jars of jam into the pot of boiling water and boil for the
processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes back to a
full boil.
11. Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot
water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface i.e.
wooden board or towel. Do not adjust lids during this time. 12. The next day, check jars have sealed before labelling and dating
clearly.
13. Store jars of raspberry jam in a cool, dark and dry place (i.e.
pantry) for up to 12 months. Jar lids should remain tightly sealed during
storage, and not flex up or down when pressed (which indicates jar seal
failure, do not consume).
14. Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 6-8 weeks.
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Processing
Time for RASPBERRY JAM in
a Boiling Water Canner
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Jar
Size
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Altitude
≤ 1,000 feet
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Altitude
1,001 -
3,000 feet
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Altitude
3,001 -
6,000 feet
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Altitude
≥ 6,000 feet
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Hot Pack
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≤ 1 Litre
(quarts)
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5
minutes
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10 minutes
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10 minutes |
15 minutes
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TIPS
o Add 2-3tbsp
cocoa (not powdered chocolate) in Step 6;
o Infuse jam
during cooking with a vanilla bean or a few fresh mint leaves;
o Add the
zest from 1 lime (or an orange, or a lemon);
o Add 3tbsp
almond liqueur or raspberry liqueur, or orange liqueur at the end (right before
bottling);
o Try
raspberry, almond liqueur & lemon zest;
o Try raspberry, almond liqueur & vanilla bean.
Author:
Megan Radaich
Image credit: Megan
Radaich
Publication: www.foodpreserving.org