Make 9-10 half-pints of jam in about 1 hour. The secret is to prepping everything before turning on any heat. Once you turn on the heat, be prepared to move quickly. Wear a full apron and gloves to avoid burns.
- 9 cups berries
- 1 cup berry juice (can substitute water or other fruit juice)
- 4 cups sugar
- juice of 1 large lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
- 1 envelope Certo liquid pectin by Sure-Jell
- 9-10 half-pint jars with two-piece tops (1 lid and 1 ring per jar)
Wash and dry the jars, lids and rings with warm soapy water. Do not use a dishwasher for the lids (it affects the wax seal).
Juice the lemon and set aside. Measure the sugar and set aside. Grind the berries through a food mill to separate the pulp and juice from the seeds and hulls.
- Place the clean glass jars in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
- Place the clean lids and rings in a medium saucepan and cover with water.
- Place the fruit and juice (or water) in a very large soup pot.
- Carefully place the empty jars in their tray in the oven. Set the oven timer for 5 minutes and go cook the jam and heat the lids. When the oven timer goes off, turn off the oven and leave the jars warming until the jam is ready to pour.
- Turn the heat under both pots – the berries and the lids – to high. When the berries reach a low boil, add the sugar and return to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add lemon juice and Certo liquid pectin. Continue boiling for 3 more minutes.
- Move the jam to a part of the range that is not hot.
- Pull the hot jars out of the oven and move close to the jam.
- Using a 1-cup measuring scoop, fill the hot jars with the hot jam. The “fill” line for each jar is just under the screw top rings.
- Using tongs to remove the hot lids, place them on a paper towel, quickly dry and place a hot lid on each filled jar.
- Using the tongs, remove the rings and screw gently on top of lids.
- Use a kitchen towel to pick up a jar and tighten the lid.
- Set the hot jars of jam aside to cool. Within five minutes, you should begin to hear the metal lids “ping.” Each lid will get sucked down into a vacuum by the hot jam and it makes a single ping when the lid is sealed
- Label the lids or use stick-on labels.
The jam is best if you let it set overnight or 24 hours before opening your first jar.
The Certo package instructions recommend refrigerating or freezing your jars of jam after three weeks.