Homemade Raspberry or Blackberry Jam: Recipe

Homemade Raspberry or Blackberry Jam turned out to be the simplest thing ever to make. Why did I make this delight? I’d purchased way too many raspberries and blackberries. After eating a bunch of them, I had a whole lot leftover. I had a conundrum: what could I make with them. It took a bit of research before I settled on making some jam. Then I set about creating a recipe to fit the quantity of berries I had on hand.

My goal was to create a fresh tart fruit forward taste with my recipe. This homemade raspberry or blackberry jam recipe accomplished that. A taste tester of mine said they could eat this jam by the spoonful saying, “Who needs toast.”

Shall we get started?

Homemade Raspberry or Blackberry Jam

Ingredients: Depending on the berries, it will make 3 to 4 4 oz. jars

• 4 cups of raspberries or blackberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup water

Directions:

Place a small plate and spoon in the freezer. Sterilize 4 – 4 oz jars, lids and bands and set aside.

Combine the berries, water, sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice and bring to a rolling boil. Stirring continuously, cook for a 1 or 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally, cook for 10 minutes.

At this point, start testing for doneness. Using the frozen plate and spoon, place a small amount of the jam on the chilled plate. Place the dish back in the refrigerator for 1 minute. Tilt the plate to check for jelling, if the jam stays put or hardly moves you’re good. One final check I do is to run my finger through the mixture, if it forms a firm line and crinkles a bit on the sides, it’s ready. If neither happens, clean the plate and spoon and place them back in the freezer and repeat this process every few minutes until you’ve reached a proper level of jelling/thickness.

Using a canning funnel, pour the hot mixture into 5 or 6 4 oz. Freezer canning jars. Leave about ½ inch headspace at the top of each jar. Let the filled jar cool on the counter for 30 to 40 minutes. Once cooled, label, date and store in the refrigerator up to a month or freeze for up to 12 months.

Notes: My jam recipe can easily be doubled or tripled using any berry variety or combination. The amount of time it takes to reach the right thickness is not an exact science. It all depends on the amount of moisture or lack thereof in the berries. If you prefer your jam less chunky, mash it a bit while it simmers. Again, if you prefer your jam, a little sweeter and/or more tart add a bit more sugar, lemon juice or both. However, be careful not to add too much of either. I like to use small, heavy sided jars for freezing, found online, at many grocery stores, or a Cost Plus/World Market. One last thing; you may easily can these jars using the hot water bath method.

There you have it, my newly created jam recipe and it’s not complicated, one of the many reasons I love it.

Making small batches, using little jars makes for an excellent presentation and yummy addition to any breakfast table, high tea or maybe an accompaniment on a cheese board. When you find that you have a significant amount of fruit that needs a purpose right away, this homemade raspberry or blackberry jam recipe might be what you need.

Time to eat…

If you enjoyed my “Homemade Raspberry or Blackberry Jam,” check out my Homemade Peach Preserves, Fresh Fig Jam, and these Freezer Plum Jam. Enjoy.

P.S. Take a moment to check out some of the tools I used for this “Homemade Raspberry or Blackberry Jam” below