My daughter has been chomping at the bit to make jam. I’m not sure where she got the idea, but with all of the juicy berries we have been bringing home, now is definitely the time to preserve the berries while they are at the height of their flavor so we can pop into the jars when the bounty is no longer here.
My maternal grandmother was the queen of canning. She grew-up on a farm in Minnesota with a gazillion brothers (she was the youngest and the only girl…even her twin was a boy! Just based on that you know she lived in the kitchen). I could go on and on about her canned peaches and have so many memories of all of the grandchildren being horrified when we discovered that there was only one can left in the pantry…they were THAT good.
Don’t even get me started on her huckelberry syrup…absolute heaven!
And her garden. Oh her garden. When it was dinnertime she would send my sister and I out to the garden to harvest the salad for the meal.
And her backyard. It was HUGE and lined with fruit trees. We would go out there and play for hours. When we got hungry, we just reached-up and picked whatever we wanted to snack on.
Grandma Ruba made some amazing jam as well and I was always excited when she brought some on her visits.
Needless to say, I was definitely nostalgic while making jam with my daughter. Perfect weather, cooking with my little one, and a tasty jam as the result of a wonderful day…another slice of heaven.
This jam my daughter and I created was definitely fresh vs. the cooked-down taste with a traditional jam. I like both versions, but this version seems so appropriate for capturing the fruit in it’s prime.
We have one in the fridge and I froze the rest for later use.
INGREDIENTS Inspired by 5 Dollar Dinners 3 lbs. berries (I used 2 lbs. strawberries, 1/2 lb. blueberries, 1/2 lb. raspberries) 1 box fruit pectin (I used Sure Jell) 2 tsp agar powder 1 12oz. container frozen organic apple juice concentrate (I used Cascadian Farms) sweetener to taste (depends on ripeness of berries) with stevia, honey, or maple syrup. .Wash, de-stem, and dry the berries.
Mash the berries with a potato masher. If you are using some blueberries, make sure to pop open all of the blueberries. The kids will have A LOT of fun helping you with this. Make sure they have clean hands and then encourage them to get their hands into the action and squish the berries.
Bring the apple juice concentrate to a boil and add in the pectin and agar agar. Whisk until dissolved and pour the boiling mixture over the crushed berries. Mix well.
Pour the jam into glass containers and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the cooled mixture to set.
The jam will stay well in the fridge for 3 weeks or freezer for 3 months.
I can’t wait to try this with the apricots we have been getting at the Farmer’s Market!
For a printable version of this recipe click here.