Skip the Store! Make Your Own Jam
Before the advent of refrigeration, home cooks made big batches of jam so their fruit would last longer. That meant "processing," the time-consuming method of heating food in jars to kill the microorganisms that cause spoilage. Thankfully, times have changed: Our easy cheat relies on a regular skillet and much less sugar -- and it comes together in a jiffy. Store in the fridge; it will keep up to 3 weeks. (For fresh fruit jam year-round, pack into freezer-safe containers, leaving 1 inch of headspace, and freeze up to 1 year.)
Related:5 Things You Didn't Know About Berries
Yields: 2 1/4 cups
Total Time: 10 min
Ingredients:
- 3 cup(s) raspberries
- 1 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
- 5 teaspoon(s) powdered fruit pectin
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) margarine or butter
- 1 1/4 cup(s) sugar
Related:11 Recipes Rich with Raspberries
Directions:
1. In 12-inch skillet, combine raspberries, lemon juice, pectin, and margarine. Heat to boiling on high, blending and mashing with potato masher or back of spoon; boil 1 minute. Stir in sugar; return to boiling. Boil jam 2 minutes longer, until syrupy, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Cool at room temperature 15 minutes.
2. Pour jam into two clean 1/2-pint jars with tight-fitting lids. Cover and refrigerate until jam is set and cold, about 8 hours. (Jam will thicken as it chills.) Keep jam refrigerated and use within 3 weeks.
More from Good Housekeeping:
