Jam, Jam, Jam!

When I went to our green market last week, I bought blueberries, raspberries and strawberries to turn into jam. Well, I ATE them all. No jam last week. This week I was smart. I bought almost a flat of fruit. Not all of it is for jam. I wanted to make sure I bought plenty to eat. I bought raspberries, blueberries, black raspberries, bing cherries and 2 kinds of apricots. (Good thing I bought two boxes of apricots, B has already eaten 3!)

Before, I made a no-cook jam. And it was OK, but pretty sweet. When I was at my sister's, I spied an Eating Well Magazine with low sugar jam recipes. So I bored it. Eating Well's jam recipe used "no sugar needed" pectin. You still have to use sugar, but a lot less of it. So I tried it today. And, it went well. I have only had a finger swipe of a taste, but what I tried was good. I am so excited to try it tomorrow.

Here is the recipe for Eating Well Magazine.

**I used raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and black raspberries. **

FRESH FRUIT JAM

Makes 6-8 cups

ACTIVE TIME: 20-40 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 20-40 minutes (depending on type of fruit)

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

12 cups prepared fresh fruit, peeled if desired (see Tip)
1-2 cups granulated sugar or brown sugar (see Note)
1/2 cup water
1 1.75-ounce packet “no sugar needed” pectin (see Note)

1. Combine fruit, sugar to taste and water in a Dutch oven. Bring to a vigorous boil and crush fruit with a potato masher until desired consistency. Add pectin in a steady stream, stirring constantly. Stir until the pectin is dissolved. Bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that cannot be “stirred down”), stirring constantly. Boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
2. If freezing or refrigerating, ladle the jam into clean canning jars to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Wipe rims clean. Cover with lids. Let the jars stand at room temperature until set, about 24 hours, before refrigerating or freezing. Or process in a water bath to store at room temperature (see Tip).

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per tablespoon (strawberry): 12 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 3 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 1 mg sodium; 32 mg potassium.
0 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: free food

TIP: Tip: How to Prep & Measure Fruit—Berries: Remove stems; hull strawberries. Measure whole. Cherries: Remove stems and pits; halve. Measure halves. Peaches, Nectarines & Plums: Peel if desired. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces; discard pits. Measure pieces. Apples, Pears & other fruit: Peel if desired. Quarter, remove seeds and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Measure pieces.

To peel stone fruit, dip them in boiling water for about 1 minute to loosen their skins. Let cool slightly, then remove the skins with a paring knife.

Notes: 3/4 cup maple syrup (or honey) or 1/2-1 cup Splenda Granular can be used in place of 1 cup sugar.

We tested Fresh Fruit Jam with “No sugar needed” pectin from Ball and Sure-Jell. We prefer this to regular pectin because you can adjust the amount of added sugar. Regular pectin cannot be used in its place because it requires more sugar to ensure a proper set. Although Sure-Jell’s instructions indicate that you cannot use less sugar than called for in their recipes, we had successful results using less (as indicated in our recipes).

Tip: Processing in a boiling water bath ensures safe storage at room temperature for up to a year. For step-by-step pictures and instructions, go to eatingwell.com/kitchentips.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, in the freezer for up to 1 year or at room temperature for up to 1 year if processed in a water bath. | Equipment: Six to eight 8-ounce canning jars.

Here is a photo of my jam. I am going to freeze it.

Maybe the next time I will trying processing it

in a water bath.