How to Make and Can Homemade Berry Jam

The summer is the perfect time to make your homemade jams and jellies. I make my jam every summer and give it out for holiday gifts, housewarmings, or any other fun occasion. It is a great gift and I always get many compliments for the jam. Plus, my family always has homemade jam for marinades, toast, PB&J, etc. The best part is that the process is quite simple.

This summer, I have made strawberry jam, blackberry jam, peach jam, triple berry (blackberry, raspberry and blueberry) jam, and strawberry-blueberry jam. Personally, I like the triple berry the best, but they all are very good.

1. Jars and lids: There are 6 jar sizes to choose from. I prefer either the half pint (8oz) or pint (16oz) sizes. One batch of jam will fill around 4 pint jars or 8 half pint jars. The half pint jars are great for small gifts. There are two mouth sizes you can choose from as well. The mouth size is determined by the diameter of the jar opening. I like the wide mouth jars because of the aesthetics, but the regular mouth jars are easier to find. Either mouth size is fine. All jelly jars have a regular mouth size. Your jars and screw tops may be reused, but all lids must be new. If you have the jars, the lids can be bought separately.
   
2. A water bath canner or a very large stockpot for heating jam after it's ladled into jars: I use a 12 quart stock pot.
3. Large stockpot for cooking jam: I use an 8 qt. stock pot
4. Small saucepan for heating lids
   
5. Canning funnel: This isn't a necessity, but I highly recommend it. Cleaning really hot jam off of the sides of the jar before it's put in the water bath is not fun. The funnel allows you to ladle the jam into the jars without the mess.
6. Jar lifter: Also not a necessity, but a great utensil for lifting the jam out of the hot water bath. The funnel and jar lifter can be bought cheaply at Target.
   
7. Ladle and long spoon for stirring jam
   
8. Liquid and dry measuring cups
   
9. Mixing bowls for the fruit and sugar
10. Fresh fruit: You can use frozen and dried fruit, but fresh is the best
11. Sugar
12. Pectin: I have used both liquid and dry pectin and haven't seen any difference in my jam. I always buy extra pectin. It can be added to runny jam to thicken it. If your jam is overly ripe it can cause it to be runny.
13. Lemon: Some recipes call for adding lemon.
    

I like to have everything ready before I start cooking the jam.

1. Wash lids, jars and bands in hot soapy water.  After I have washed the jars, I put them in a rinse and hold cycle in my dishwasher to keep them warm.  You want your jars warm when putting the hot jam in them so they don't break.
2. Simmer water in canner or large stockpot.  There should be enough water that when jars are put in canner/stockpot there is one inch of water on top of the lids.  I usually fill a little more than half of the stock pot.
   
3. Boil water in a small pot, take off of heat, place flat lids in pot, cover, and let stand until ready to use.  Drain the lids well before using.
4.  Prepare fruit as directed in chart below.
5. Measure sugar separately in a bowl and set aside.  Reducing the amount of sugar can cause the jam not to set.  You can try the low sugar fruit pectin recipes if you want to cut on sugar.
   
6. Cut open pectin and place in a cup next to the stove top.

If your jam or jelly hasn't set after two weeks you can remake it.

• If your jam didn't maintain a good seal, do not process again.
• Eight cups is the maximum amount you should remake at once.
• Remade jam must be processed in water bath again
• You can do a test batch first with 1 cup of jam if you choose

Recipe to remake your jam that did not set

1. Measure jam that needs to be remade
2. For each cup of unset jam add 3 Tbsp of sugar; 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1 1/2 tsp pectin
3. Heat unset jam to a boil over high heat stirring constantly. Quickly add sugar, lemon juice and pectin, stirring to dissolve
4. Stirring constantly, return to a full rolling boil. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and skim foam.
5. Fill and seal jars as done before.