jam recipes Archives · Jess in the Kitchen

Black Raspberry Jam

It is black raspberry season and with that comes black raspberry jam creating!

Growing up, I have fond memories of harvesting wild red raspberries while my dad set up deer stands, checked for hunting activity, and the like. My sister and I would keep containers with us and would harvest away, swatting bugs and getting scratched by the branches. It wasn’t until I met the Mr. that I even knew black raspberries were a thing.

Around our home, the red raspberries are referred to as “mama’s raspberries” and the black are “daddy’s raspberries.” As I started to learn to can early in our marriage, the first thing my husband requested was black raspberry jam. Of course, I had to oblige.

I do want to share that I did not grow up in a canning household. I learned about ten years ago, as soon as we bought our home and started our first garden. And while I had some support of my mother in law (thank you so much!), I learned SO MUCH from reading. If you are a first generation canner like I was, let me share some of my favorite resources:

Ball Complete Book of Home Canning: This book gives you a good idea of all the basics from the people who know canning forwards and backwards. I love that I can dig in and get just what I need.

Not Your Mama’s Canning Book: Modern Canned Goods and What to Make with Them: This book is SO FUN. It has some out of the ordinary recipes. We especially love the tomato soup and seasoned black bean recipes.

And finally, the National Center for Home Food Preservation has all the information you need for all sorts of food preservation, not just canning. I reference it often!

But enough about resources, you want to can right? (But seriously, I am going to give you the basics. If you are a newbie (Yay!), head to any of those resources for more detailed information)

Your Ingredients for Black Raspberry Jam

For approximately 4 half-pints, gather:

5 cups black raspberries
3 cups sugar

(Yes, that’s it! No, you can’t swap out the sugar for a different sweetener. Canning is finicky like that)

The Prep Work

Fill the canning kettle with enough water that the jars will be covered by at least 2 inches of water. More is better in this case so overestimate. Begin to heat over high heat. Place the canning rack so that it is hooked over the side of the canner and put clean jars on it to keep them warm. Note: You don’t have to keep the jars in the rack, although it is helpful to keep them warm. You want the jars warm to prevent breaking when they are being filled.

Set the clean rings aside. I like to simmer my lids on low low heat in a small saucepan. Not necessary, but I like to think it helps them seal better.

If you have not already done so, measure out the sugar and the berries.

The black raspberry Jam Making

In a large, preferably shallow kettle, smash the black raspberries with a potato masher. Stir in the sugar. Begin to heat over medium-high heat, stirring often. I like to smash the berries more as they are cooking down.

Your end goal is to reach the gelling point. There are lots of tests for this, but I prefer the temperature test. If you are at sea level, the gelling point is at 220 degrees. For every 1000 feet of elevation, you subtract 2 degrees. For me, the gelling point is 218 degrees. Don’t have a decent food thermometer? Check out the National Center for Home Preservation website for other ways of testing for the gelling point.

It takes longer to reach the gelling point than I think it should. It also goes from needing 3 degrees to reaching the gelling point fast. You can get complacent while you are waiting and suddenly hit the temperature, so I am trying to warn you 🙂

Once the jam has reached the gelling point, remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch head space. Wipe rims of the jars with a damp, clean cloth, add lids and rings, tightening to fingertip tight. Place in the canner, increasing the heat to high. Once the canner reaches a boil, process for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow jars to cool in the canner over 5 minutes. Remove from canner, placing on the counter. Listen for the ping of the lids over the next 12 hours. Sealed jars are self stable. If any jar doesn’t seal, simply place it right in the refrigerator.

Note: You can skip the processing step all together if you feel more comfortable. If you do so, the black raspberry jam will need to be stored in the refrigerator. The process of water bath canning creates a self-stable jam. That is, a jam that can be stored on the shelf.

Black Raspberry Jam

Two little ingredients (sugar and black raspberries) combine to make this wonderful taste of summer treat!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Canning

Servings 1/2 pint jars

Equipment

Water Bath Canner

Ingredients

5 cup black raspberries
3 cups sugar

Instructions

If you have not done so, measure out raspberries and sugar.
Wash and sanitize 4 1/2 pint jars, rings, and lids. Keep warm. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 2 inches of water. Cover and heat on high. Watch the temperature, you want a simmer but not a boil when you place the jars in the water.
In a large, shallow kettle, smash raspberries with a potato masher. Stir in sugar. Begin to heat over medium-high heat, stirring often. Smash more as they are cooking down.
Heat to 8 degrees above the boiling point of water. If you are at sea level, the gelling point is at 220 degrees. For every 1000 feet of elevation, you subtract 2 degrees.
Once the jam has reached the gelling point, remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch head space. Wipe rims of the jars with a damp cloth, add lids and rings, tightening to fingertip tight. Place in the canner, increasing the heat to high. Once the canner reaches a boil, process for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow jars to cool in the canner over 5 minutes. Remove from canner and allow to rest for 12 hours before storing.

Notes

You can skip the processing step all together if you feel more comfortable. If you do so, the jam will need to be stored in the refrigerator. The process of water bath canning creates a self-stable jam. That is, a jam that can be stored on the shelf.

Keyword black raspberry, Jam, Jam Recipes, Jellies and Jams, raspberries

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July 22, 2022July 22, 2022

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Razzle Dazzle Raspberry Jam

That’s our pet name for “my” raspberries. The red raspberries. I love red raspberries with my entire soul and there isn’t much better than fresh from the kettle razzle dazzle raspberry jam. Put that on freshly baked sourdough bread and guys, my taste buds sing.

I have a long history with raspberries. Some of my earliest memories are going to scout for deer hunting areas with my dad, containers in tow, harvesting wild raspberries along the hidden dirt road. I always had a rule that I couldn’t try one until I finished harvesting. If I broke that rule, I was sure I would eat ALLL the berries. I still try to follow that silly rule to this day.

Raspberries are also a favorite fruit of my grandma’s, who is quite possibly my biggest cheerleader and closest relative. For so many holidays, She would bake schaum torte (apparently a specialty in Wisconsin! I never knew! Check it out here!), and we topped it with raspberries. Needless to say, it was the dessert I always chose growing up.

Now, I have a larger than life patch of raspberries that are my babies. I find it almost meditative to harvest them alone and silently. Weaving and ducking through the leaves to make sure I don’t miss a ripe berry. And that patch? It produces like none other. That means I eat a ton. Freeze a ton. And oh my gosh, the jam! I do both this razzle dazzle raspberry jam. I also do a raspberry jalapeño jam for a little fun. You can find it by clicking here if you need a little kick!

For now, let’s get canning some beautiful raspberry jam! Oh quick…

New to canning? Check out the Ball’s Book of Canning or The National Center for Home Food Preservation for more detailed information. I will give you the low down, but it will be short and sweet. You will want to read up more, I promise 🙂

Your Ingredients:

8 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (If frozen, measure first. Then thaw)
7 cups sugar
1 box powder pectin
¼ teaspoon butter (optional)

Your Supplies

This recipe will result in approximately nine 8 ounce jelly jars. Be sure you have rings and lids for them.

You will need a water bath canner or large stock pot with a lid. The jars need to be off the bottom of the pot. A water bath canner will have a rack to use if you go that route. If you use a stock pot, I would invest in canning racks. You can also put a towel down in a pinch, but it is MESSY in terms of getting water everywhere.

It is also helpful to have the tools in a canning kit like this, but it isn’t necessary. Canning would be crazy challenging without the jar funnel and jar tongs. The lid lifter is also very handy.

Your Steps to Razzle Dazzle Raspberry Jam

Begin by measuring out your sugar in a large bowl and set aside. It’s important to have all your ingredients prepared before beginning the canning process so don’t skip this step.

Fill the canning kettle with enough water that the jars will be covered by at least ½” water. More is better in this case so over estimate. Begin to heat over high heat. Place the canning rack so that it is hooked on the side of the canner and put clean jars on it to keep them warm. Note: You don’t have to keep the jars in the rack, although it is helpful to keep them warm. You want the jars warm so that when you fill them to prevent breaking.

Set the clean rings aside. I like to simmer my lids on low low heat in a small saucepan. Not necessary, but I like to think it helps them seal better.

Now to create the jam

In a large, preferably shallow kettle, smash the raspberries with a potato masher. Stir in powder pectin. Add butter if desired. It will decrease foaming while the jam is cooking, but is not necessary. The foam isn’t bad. It just makes the jam a little less pretty.

Heat raspberries and pectin over medium high heat, stirring consistently. Once it is close to a boil, stir constantly until you cannot stir down a rolling boil. On more than one occasion, I have thought I reached this point only to go a little longer and see what a “real rolling boil” looked like.

Once a rolling boil has been reached, quickly stir in the sugar. I find a strong whisk is helpful to make sure there are no clumps of sugar in the jam. Continue to heat over medium-high heat until a rolling boil is reached again, stirring constantly. Once the roiling boil is reached, time for EXACTLY one minute. Remove from heat.

Ladle hot jam into jars using the canning funnel, leaving ¼” head space. Wipe rims of the jars as you go, top with a lid, and put on a ring so that it is finger tip tight. Finger tip tight means you know its tight but you aren’t sealing it so much so that it wouln’t leak on it’s side, if that makes sense. (Any leftover jam can go in a small container and get placed in the fridge to be enjoyed immediately)

Place jars in JUST about boiling water bath canner. Cover and raise heat until a rolling boil is reached. Cook jam for 10 minutes (adjusting for your altitude…under 1000 feet, you’re good. Over? Add 5 minutes for every 1000 feet). Once the time is complete, remove canner from heat and remove the cover. Allow the jam to sit in the canner an additional 5 minutes. Then remove and place on a towel on the counter.

Afterward…

Listen for the ping as the jars seal and just let them be for 24 hours. I know it will be hard to let them be because you’ll be so proud, but it’s recommended to make sure you get a good seal. Any jars that do not seal can be refrigerated and enjoyed right away. Note: It is recommended to store canned goods with their rings removed so that you can know if a false seal occurs. I generally just loosen them as loose as they can go.