Mixed Berry Jam

This was one of the most popular gifts I made this holiday season, so to share the joy of the tart, not-too-sweet, deep antioxidant-packed power of this jam, here is the recipe below. I used all frozen berries for mine: 2/3 frozen blueberries (bought from Costco, wild blueberries from Maine), and 1/3 a mix of frozen berries from Trader Joe's (mix of regular blueberries, cherries, and raspberries). I'm sure fresh sweet berries would be fabulous as well. Enjoy!

Mixed Berry Jam (adapted from The Art of Preserving)

Makes 6-8 half-pint jars (total volume of 48-64 ounces)

Ingredients:

3 lbs (12 cups) of berries (can be raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, in any ratio you want; frozen berries work great and are cheaper during off-season months)

3 cups (1.5 lbs) sugar (cannot decrease)

3/4 cup lemon juice

1 package pectin (you can find this at the store usually near the JELL-O/gelatin)

Instructions:

If canning, sterilize jars and canning lids/seals. You can do this by boiling in water for at least 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large non-reactive saucepan, toss together the berries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until jam has thickened, about 15 minutes. Add package of pectin, stir to completely dissolve, bring back up to a boil for 1 minute. The jam should be very thick now.

Ladle the jam into jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top. Wipe the jar rims clean, place the seals, and tighten lids. If canning, place filled jars in boiling water bath and boil for 10 minutes. Once they come out, you should hear the lids pop as they create a vacuum and seal as they cool off. If they do not seal, you can follow the directions below.

If you are not able to can, or the cans processed above did not seal, you can store in fridge or freezer. Make sure to boil-sterilize the jars you wish to use to store the jam in before filling just to be safe, and then fill the jars, secure the lid, and store in fridge for up to 1 month, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

For complete information on how to home can safely, please go to this website for details: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html