OMG I think I made jam. Real JAM. I would have taken more pictures except I was too in awe of my own self (and/or too busy comparing self favorably to Caroline Ingalls) to operate a camera.
FIRST, I picked black raspberries until my poor arms and legs were scratched/bitten to the dickens.
THEN, I froze those berries in single layers on cookie sheets before transferring them to freezer ziploc bags.
THEN, I thawed MORE BERRIES THAN I COULD POSSIBLY NEED: 7.5 cups, for a recipe that called for 4 cups of mashed berries.
THEN, I used my late mother-in-law’s applesauce-straining system (it is a metal sieve thing, plus a stand for the sieve thing, and a wooden thing to squoosh the fruit through the sieve thing) to remove some of the seeds from the berries.
THEN, I discovered that 7.5 cups berries made 3.5 cups berry mash plus .5 cups seeds.
THEN, I thawed another salad-plateful of berries, which made up the other .5 cup of mashed (without any seed-removal measures taken).
THEN, I stirred some freezer-jam fruit pectin into 1.5 cups of sugar, and then added my finally-4-cups of mashed berries.
THEN, I stirred for 3 minutes.
THEN, I put that stuff into 5 plastic 8-ounce freezer-jam containers.
THEN, I waited 30 minutes.
THEN, I transferred the containers to the freezer, and put the remaining stuff in another container for the fridge.
THEN: JAM, BABY, OH YEAH. And it only took $4.50 of containers plus $3.00 of pectin plus $scratches plus $time, and you know what? Jam is only like $2-$3 jar at the store.
(But still! JAM!! From BERRIES that GROW in my YARD!)
(Plus, I can reuse the containers.)
That’s right!! Next year it won’t cost you the $4.50 for the containers. Our backyard berry season is over, so I just bought frozen berries (mixed) for $5 and I’m going to use containers I already have too. Yay for jam!!
Good job! Homemade freezer jam is soooo much better than store bought. In fact, we are eating our last jar and my kids are firmly hinting that we need to make some more.
Yum! We usually make a batch of strawberry.
OMG, you rock! I’m duly impressed.
I’ve been a jam making fool this year. I figure the investment in the containers will make it worth it in years to come. The kids have loved helping and it’s so yummy!
this is awesome!
You made it sound easy enough that I may try this myself.
mmmm! My hubby makes jam in our bread maker and it’s SUPER easy. the kids love it! It looks delish!
I made applesauce in the crockpot a few months ago and it was great, until my sister informed me that I could have gotten applesauce at the grocery store for a dollar and I wouldn’t have had to cut anything or clean up a mess.
Isn’t that a great feeling? And it’s really pretty easy although I’m impressed with your extra step of seed removal. When we had blackberries in the yard I never bothered to remove the seeds and it was some really seedy jam.
Oh, that sounds so good. Isn’t there a scene in Little House in the Big Woods where Ma is wearing a dress with buttons shaped like blackberries? I bet they were really black raspberries.
But you made it. You get taste points for sweat equity.
Canning doesn’t really pay off until you have a collection of containers. We do. I mean, we make homemade apple and pear sauce every year for an investment of the jar lids and a bit of time.
CHEAP jam is only $2-$3. Jam that is comparable to what you just made–lots of real fruit, and real sugar, not watered down, and no corn syrup or food coloring– is considered gourmet jam and costs double. So there–you’re good!
You should feel proud!
Freezer jam tastes more like the real fruit than any commercial jam out there—without any added ‘flavors” or colors to make up for the lack of fruit. It has less sugar than store jams and contains only the good fruit, nothing spoiled or mouldy. And as per Swistle standards, it contains zero parts per million cockroach parts and mouse parts (no comment on Mouse parts per million, based on my canning ‘assistants’ contributions).
Cindy Kay & Bunnyslippers- Oh! Yes! You’re right! That DOES make it better!
I bet your jam tastes better than the store brought. ;)
Congratulations!! I am mucho impressed. AND I bet it is super delicious.
I have actually been thinking I might have my husband’s 85-year-old grandfather teach me how to can. Is that crazy or what? But I would feel all Caroline Ingalls too!! (Well, except she didn’t have a stove on which to boil stuff.) And that is a good feeling.
Oh, Caroline had a woodstove to cook on! Imagine having the woodstove going in you small kitchen on a hot summer day!! Hence, the dried fruits I bet! You are amazing Swistle! Imagine how you will feel biting into your toast and jam on a cold February morning!
You are a pioneer! :-) I imagine it tastes great.
Did you watch Friends? There is an episode about Monica making jam and Joey was reminiscing about being sent to the movies with a jar of jam – heh. So now you have bonus movie snacks.
I am crazy impressed!
To think that jammin’ was a thing of the past! Way to go! (Plus now I have that song in my head, which is a good thing!)
YOU ARE PRACTICALLY A SETTLER!! you could win at real-life oregon trail now, i think. (how are you at treating dysentery?)
Love your Caroline Ingalls comparisons. I do the same. I chalk it up to reading way to much Little House on the Prairie growing up.
I started canning a few years back and the first time I made anything (pickles) I was in awe of myself. All that canning season I was totally obnoxious. I would make something and then march around the house demanding that everyone admire it and admire me for making it. The thrill of it all has worn of slightly (slightly!) but I still get pretty jazzed whenever I make something.
Love those freezer “jars”. I came across these earlier this summer and thought how nice it would be to use them for freezing stocks and sauces, and jams, perhaps but so far they’ve only been used for snacks for the kids or training cups for the toddlers drink as I try to transition them from sippy cups. Perfect size for all that stuff…