Any Berry Jam

Way back in 2002 I was pregnant with my first child.  I discovered BabyCenter and all their excellent content for moms.  One of their featured bloggers was a lady named Catherine Newman.  I instantly loved her entries and have been following her ever since where ever she may write.  This recipe was published in the now defunct Family Fun magazine and really is easy enough for older kids to make (mostly) on their own.  I'll cut/paste her recipe here, but since I have the link to her post I strongly encourage you to go read her whole post.  She gives good tips for making good jam and you get to see her cute son in cooking action.  Plus, she includes many pictures that are informative and pretty.  Seriously, check her out.  You'll thank me.

Any Berry Jam

Recipe and picture by Catherine Newman

Click HERE to read all of Catherine Newman's wonderful words.

Makes 4-5 cups

This is a recipe I developed for FamilyFun, and it's in this month's issue along with a couple others, including Pool Noodle Salad, which I've made many times this summer. As for the jam, which is bright, fruity, and fantastic: there are lots of different kinds of pectin, and they all seem to work fine with this super-easy, fool-proof method.

4 cups crushed blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries (hulled). Crush the berries with a potato masher before measuring--it will likely take about a quart and a half of berries to make 4 cups crushed. If the strawberries are not crushably ripe, slice them first.

1 ½ cups sugar

1 pouch powdered or liquid pectin

Put the berries in a large, heavy pot. Stir together the sugar and pectin in a bowl (if you are using liquid pectin, skip this step), then stir the sugar and pectin thoroughly into the berry mixture. Bring the berries to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. You are looking for a full, rolling boil--the kind that can't be stirred down. Boil for one minute, then ladle the jam into very clean jars (leave an inch of headroom for expansion in the freezer), cap, cool to room temperature, and then use or freeze.