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.
Raspberry Jam
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups raspberries
- 6 cups sugar
- ¼ teaspoon butter optional
- 1 box powder pectin
Instructions
- Prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Cover and begin to heat over a medium-high heat.
- Measure out sugar. Set aside.
- Place the raspberries in a large, non reactive kettle. Crush them with potato masher. Add ¼ teaspoon of butter, if desired, to reduce foaming.
- Sprinkle and stir in the pectin. Cook over high heat until a rolling boil is reached, stirring consistently.
- Once a rolling boil is reached, slowly stir in sugar.
- Continue to stir until you reach another rolling boil that can not be stirred down. Once a rolling boil is reached, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Ladle jelly into prepared jelly jars, wipe the rims with a damp cloth, add lids, and tighten rings to fingertip tight. Put into the water bath canner. When the canner has a steady boil going, time and process for 10 minutes.
- Once the jelly is done processing, remove the canner from heat and let jars rest in the water for an additional 5 minutes. Finally, remove jars from the canner and allow to cool for 12-24 hours before moving.
Notes
- Make sure you are using powdered pectin rather than liquid pectin. They do not set the same.
- If you have never canned, you can reference the instructions within the pectin box for additional, more detailed directions.
- Sealed jars are shelf-stable, meaning they can be stored on a shelf unrefrigerated. If your jars don’t ping (a sign that they have sealed), they are still good. You will just need to store them in the refrigerator.
- Most sources recommend removing the rings from jars for storage so that you will know if they unseal for any reason. I generally just loosen them as much as I can without removing them.
Looking for other Raspberry Recipes?
Check out some of my favorites below!
