Making Raspberry Jam - Summers Acres

Last year was the first year that we were able to harvest any of our raspberries. We were pleasantly surprised at how many we were able to gather. Many we ate right there on the spot. Wow, they were delicious right off the vine! So, of course we had to make raspberry jam too.

Fresh raspberries do not keep very long so once they started trickling in we froze what we did not eat right away. Once we had enough we planned to make raspberry jam, but things never seem to go as planned. So we just got around to making raspberry jam. Freezing is so convenient if your berries are coming in small batches or if you just do not have time to use them. We pulled the frozen raspberries out of the freezer and ran the bags under some cold water to thaw. They thaw rather quickly.

Frozen Raspberries Thawing in Cold Water

Thawing Raspberries in Cold Water

Because we open and close the bag a hundred times while the berries trickle in we did have some moisture collected in the bag. You can see the ice inside the bag. Not to worry, they were not in the freezer so long that they were freezer burned. You can make your jam with fresh or frozen berries. Raspberry seeds are so tiny that they are negligible and do not require running through the food mill like blackberries. They are also so delicate that we simply mashed them while still inside the bag and then measured them. We put our 3 cups of raspberries in a large pot on medium heat.

3 Cups of Raspberries

Once it has come to a full boil add equal parts sugar (3 cups) and stir. Continue stirring bringing it to a full boil again. There are multiple ways to “test the jelly point”. We use the sheeting off a spoon method and a thermometer. So we continued to stir and let the mixture boil until it reached 220 degrees and was sheeting.

Small batches of jelly and jam are easier to keep a consistent temperature all the way through and will jell faster. If doing a small batch like this, it is a good time to prepare the jars, lids, and rims while waiting for the jam to reach the jelly point. Of course you can always prepare them ahead of time as well. Wash jars, rings, and lids. Heat lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Boiling excessively may damage the seal on the lids. Set rings aside until needed.

Simmering the Lids So They Seal Better

When your raspberries and sugar have reached 220 degrees and are sheeting remove from the heat. There really was not any frothy foam. However, if you encounter this simply skim the frothy foam off of the top into a measuring cup. We read somewhere that we could microwave the “froth” and it would return to regular jam consistency and it has worked quite nicely when making our other jams and jellies with less waste.

At the rate we go through jam and jelly we should probably just start using pint jars! However, we filled 1/2 pint jelly jars with 1/4 head space, wiped the rims, and put lids and rings on. Do not over tighten the rings. The jars were placed in a water bath with 1 inch of water above the jars and boiled for 5 minutes.

Gently remove the jars from the water bath with a jar grabber and place them upright on a towel to cool. Once all the centers of the jars have set and the jars are cooled you’re done!

Just Look at That Gorgeous Color!

This jam is divine. All things raspberry are. We also made a batch of wild berry (blackberry and raspberry) the same way except we did run the blackberries through a food mill because of the larger seeds. A little raspberry goes a long way. We will probably use more blackberries next time because it still mostly tastes like raspberry jam when using equal parts of each berry.