Raspberryness!!

I made jam!! Successful jam!! And I didn't cook anything, or sterilize anything! How awesome is that?! I'm so thrilled. I love freezer jam because it doesn't taste as syrupy as normal jam. And it stays so pretty and bright! Not to mention, any one with a big bowl and a freezer can make it. I love not having to have equipment to make deliciousness, don't you?

This is the BEST raspberry jam I have ever tasted! It tastes fresh, and tangy, and summery. I love it. I want to put it on everything! I upped the lemon juice a bit and decreased the sugar. It still set perfectly, so don't be scared. Give it a try!

Freezer Raspberry Jam (adapted from MCP Pectin Box)
Printable Recipe

1 box of pectin (MCP is what I used)
3 1/4 cups crushed raspberries
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 1 tablepoon
4 cups sugar
1 cup corn syrup

First: The Berries
I crushed my berries in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. I just added and crushed with a wooden spoon till I had 2 cups.

Then, I crushed a few cups of berries in a seperate bowl, then strained them through a wire strainer into the measuring cup until I had 1 1/4 cups of raspberry puree.

This did take a while, but it was worth it! Use a wooden spoon to press the puree through the strainer, spreading firmly back and forth, stirring against the mesh, and making sure to scrape off the outside bottom of the strainer occasionally (there's good stuff there!)

It really improved the consistency of my jam to have this instead of so many seeds!

Jam:
Make sure your jam containers are washed and dried.

Prepare your fruit (crushing and straining) and stir in a large bowl with the lemon juice. (I added the extra tablespoon of juice for more tang; it was perfect!)

Measure exactly 4 cups of sugar into a separate bowl. Set aside for later.

Gradually stir the whole box of pectin into your fruit. Set aside for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 1 cup light corn syrup. Then gradually stir in the sugar. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved, and no longer grainy. This takes a long time! You can test it by running a finger through the jam on the back of your spoon. If you feel sugar grains, it's not done yet!

Pour into containers, leaving about a 1/2 inch of space for the jam to expand in the freezer. Let stand at room temperature for about 24 hours, then freeze or refrigerate.

This was my berry sorting station. After my first two cups of crushed berries, I sorted out all the perfect, firm, un-squished ones and put them on a cookie sheet. The rest went through the strainer (with about 2 cups leftover to make raspberry sauce!)

If you lay the berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet, they freeze without sticking to each other! Then you scoop them off the pan into a ziplock bag. This means you don't get those frustrating chunks of berries all frozen together. Much better for baking or topping things.

I'm so excited, this is my first post for Tutorials Tips & Tidbits over at StoneGable! I didn't think just any recipe would be quite right, but this counts as a "how-to", don't you think??