Lasagna
Regina Schrambling
9058 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
9,058
4 hours
Berry Jam
- Total Time
- About 1 hour 15 minutes, plus macerating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 cups (4 to 6 8-ounce jars)
- 4pounds/1.8 kilograms whole blueberries or raspberries; blackberries, halved lengthwise; or 4½ pounds/2 kilograms strawberries, hulled and quartered (see note)
- 3cups/600 grams granulated sugar
- 3 to 4tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice (from about 2 lemons or limes)
- Add-ins (optional, see note)
Preparation
- Step 1
Toss berries and sugar together in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Let sit for at least 15 minutes and up to overnight, periodically tossing to coat and to dissolve the sugar. (This will help coax the juices out of the fruit.)
- Step 2
Place a small plate in the refrigerator to chill. (You’ll use this later.)
- Step 3
Bring the fruit to a strong simmer over medium heat until the berries burst and the juices start to boil, about 15 minutes. If using a vanilla bean as an add-in, put it in the pot at this point.
- Step 4
Increase the heat to medium–high. Cook the jam, at first stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or spatula, then more frequently as the juices thicken. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the fruit has begun to break down, 40 to 50 minutes. How much it breaks down will depend on its type and ripeness: For example, strawberries are likely to retain more of their shape, while raspberries will break down almost entirely.
- Step 5
As the jam cooks, the liquid will reduce, the sugars thicken and the natural pectins activate. You’ll notice the liquid go from a rapid, rolling boil with smaller bubbles to a slow, thick, tarlike boil with larger bubbles: This is the stage at which it’s most important to stir constantly along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching and sticking. (Sugar is heavier than water and will concentrate there, increasing the chance that the fruit will burn.) It’s also the stage at which splattering may occur, so take care in stirring.
- Step 6
Once the jam reaches a slow, thick boil, add lemon juice and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the jam returns to its earlier consistency, about another 5 minutes. To test the consistency, spoon a bit of jam onto the chilled plate, return it to the refrigerator and chill for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through it: It should hold its shape on either side without appearing watery or runny. If it’s not there yet, cook a few minutes more. (Note: Some fruit, like strawberries, contain more water and less natural pectin than say, a raspberry. This means the jam will never be quite as thick or gelled, but it will still be delicious).
- Step 7
Remove from heat, and incorporate any of the add-ins listed (see notes). Pick out vanilla bean if you added it earlier. Divide jam between several 8-ounce canning jars, leaving ¼-inch head space, and seal immediately. Can the jams (see our How to Make Jam guide for more instruction), or store in the refrigerator, using them within a couple of weeks.
Tips
- For a chunkier strawberry jam, leave the berries quartered. For a smoother jam, crush them with a potato masher or, alternatively, your hands.
- To elevate your jam, consider the following add-ins: For blueberries, add 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime or lemon zest; or 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger. For strawberries, add 1 teaspoon orange flower water; or ½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped. For blackberries, add 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger; or 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest. For raspberries, add 2 teaspoons of rose water; or 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Carol
1 pound of blackberries equals about 3 1/2 cups.
A. Vandermolen
I cook 1 pint of raspberries 15 minutes to remove water, then add half (pint volume) sugar. Stirring another ten minutes or less. Cool. Result: just enough for a week with biscuits. :)
Shari
I love this jam recipe for both black raspberries and blueberries. I would just mention that after the initial 15 min to boil the batch, mine cooks 10 min more, then I add the lemon juice give it 5 more, and when I test it with the cold plate, it is the perfect consistency. This means the entire time cooking on the stove is a mere 30 minutes. If you are making this for the first time, maybe check it at 30 min., too, and not go the 40 or 50 more after it reaches a boil.
Susanna
No mention here about skimming the froth/scum as the jam comes to the initial boil. It's another step, but I always find it results in a brighter-tasting jam.
Clara
Made the blackberry-ginger suggestion and it turned out really great. The only thing I did differently was put a massive amount (5tb) of ginger in-- yum!
Annie D
This is now my go-to blueberry jam recipe. I love that you don't have to use tons of sugar and pectin. I added lemon zest, which it made it even more delicious! A winner!
Mary
Exceptional and so simple! - On my 3rd round of strawberries for this season as we’ve had quite the bumper crop. I cut the sugar in half- use organic cane and add pure vanilla when I add the sugar to strawberries and let them sit for several hrs. Also, canning is a breeze. Thank you so much!
Aline Franklin
The recipe is great but you definitely need to use petcin to get consistency.
Heather
I've made this recipe now 6 times. I found the instructions about the bubbles to be the most effective directions for getting it right. I have made this with all sorts of combos of berries dependent on a deal I might find. I have also adjusted accordingly to the amount of berries I have, as little at 1.5lbs to as much as 5lbs. Do skim the foam as you get more intense color and denser product. I can my finished product and it's always a well received gift.
JJ
I have used this recipe/technique with strawberries, blackberries, and tart cherries. It's straight forward to do and yields excellent and favorable jam.
TR
I wish the recipe mentioned not to cook too long! My first time and I ended up with paste.
Ashley
I made this with 4 pounds of blueberries and 400 grams of sugar - still a little too sweet for my taste. It made 7 eight oz jars so prep at least one extra if you’re canning!
latenightsolver
Excellent recipe that makes an intensely fruity jam. I usually cook it in a slow cooker set to “boil”. Helps eliminate the rush of the jam burning
Susanna
No mention here about skimming the froth/scum as the jam comes to the initial boil. It's another step, but I always find it results in a brighter-tasting jam.
betteirene
I turned this into seedless blackberry lime jam by blitzing the macerated berries in batches in a blender, straining each batch through a fine-mesh sieve, then cooking it as directed. It yielded 2.5 pints, plus enough to immediately spread on 4 slices of toast for me and 3 grandkids. We'll be having toast for breakfast, that's for sure.
Sabrina
Made this with 1 kg freshly picked blackberries, 1 cup of sugar, and 3 tbs lemon juice. My yield was two 300 g jars. It turned out perfect : )
R
First time making jam so tried out with 1 dry pint (approx 280g) blueberries, used 90g sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Made about 6oz jam. Looked at how jam is bubbling and compared that to description provided than times mentioned in the recipe. Also the smell of sugar going a little towards the burnt category made me pull it off the stove even though I felt like it’s only been a few minutes. It’s delicious, little on thicker side so will adjust that for next time.
MS
really great. just 1/4 cup of sugar per pound of fruit.
Hard and Unspreadable
I followed the instructions but my jam is hard and unspreadable. I think the cooking instructions are too long.
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