It’s Jam Season!

So, my brother Bernie says, “Hey Fran, wanna go pick berries?” And me being the ridiculously enthusiastic human I am said, “Yeah! That sounds fun! Then we could make jam!” (I do truly think my brain is still that of a 7-year-old…or a golden retriever.)

Bernie lives in Ohio where doing things like going to a farm to pick your own black raspberries or blueberries on the honor system is a thing people actually do. They even bring their kids and as it’s as stinking wholesome as it sounds. I was listening to a mom, a grandma and a little girl talking to each other while picking blueberries:

Little girl: Wow, there are so many!

Mom: That’s right, now don’t go eating too many, we have to pay for those.

Grandma: But you can taste them to make sure they taste good, OK?

Little girl: OK…Yum, these are really sweet! Ooooh, these look good too…ooh…and these too! Wow, there are a bazillion!

Mom: Ok, (laughing) hold on there… how many did you just eat?

And then the little girl giggles in that darling little kid way and it was so adorable, I could hardly stand it. She probably threw up in the car on the way home, but it was still pretty dang cute.

It was one of those glorious summer days when the sun was shining, there was a slight breeze, the temperature was in the 70s and there were just enough plump clouds in the sky to keep it from getting too hot. Perfect weather for sticking your naked arm into thorny black raspberry bushes and plucking some sweet black raspberries. The blood is minimal and the scratches heal in about a week, so it was worth it. Days like this are one of the reasons I’m glad I moved back.

Honestly, I never even knew about black raspberries. I thought they were all red raspberries, but the ones we picked were black, sweet and delicious. Sometimes you’ll find a bunch of black ones, but I kept finding only one black one on a clump with others that weren’t quite ripe yet. We picked for over an hour, and looked like we’d just committed a bloody massacre when we were done.

Then we moved on to the blueberries. I had no idea blueberries grew in such large clumps with the added bonus of no thorns! Bernie and I each picked two baskets of black raspberries and two baskets of blueberries. Then we took them home and made delicious black raspberry jam. We made both the cooked kind and the freezer jam kind. Bernie says freezer jam is great because it tastes fresher. I haven’t tasted it yet, so I have to trust him on that.

Like his Italian parents, Bernie has a completely outfitted kitchen in his basement because…well why not? And it’s great for making jam. If you’re intimidated by jam making, trust me, it’s really easy. The recipes are on the KraftHeinz.comSure-Jell website. Just click on that link and you can click to most any recipe. I like the pink box of less sugar Sure-Jell. It uses about two cups less sugar and I’ve never missed it in any jam I’ve made.

The only thing to remember is to be sure to crush the berries (which they tell you in the recipe). It leaves your jam filled with much more fruit. And having good canning tools really helps. Here’s a link to some tools on Amazon that are really helpful, especially the funnel and the tongs. Canning tools. I didn’t have the cute personalized canning labels my friend Nicole bought me, but you can order canning labels online too.

Happy canning! If you enjoy this blog, stories and the recipes and would like to be a supporter so I can stay caffeinated enough to turn out a blog on a regular basis, just click on buymeacoffee.com/FranTunno

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This is a recipe for lower sugar black raspberry jam from the KraftHeinz website, (with my notes).

Black Raspberry Jam

5 cups rinsed, prepared/smashed) fruit (about 8 cups fully ripe blackberries, boysenberries or dewberries)

1 box Lower Sugar SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin (in the pink box)

1/2 tsp butter or margarine

4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

Step 1

Bring boiling-water canner, or a large pot, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Put the jars and lids in the boiling water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.

Step 2

Thoroughly rinse and crush berries thoroughly, one layer at a time. (Press half the pulp through fine mesh strainer to remove some of the seeds, if desired.) (Bernie and I did not get rid of any seeds.) Measure exactly 5 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot.

Step 3

Stir pectin into prepared fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar; stir. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Step 4

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads if you accidentally get jam on them. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. (If you don’t have a canner, just gently lower the jars into the hot water.) Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Have fun picking and canning, or just enjoy your summer and go buy some jam!