Old Fashioned Summer Raspberry Jam

The early arrival of summer this year has been good for vegetables and fruits. After our annual ritual of strawberry picking in early June, we decided to join our local organic berry patch to pick summer raspberries!! Sadly some rather unseasonal rain led to the picking being canceled. The patch owner however had an excellent harvest. She contacted us and asked if we would like some pre-picked berries from the farm. We were delighted and got a pail of sweet-tart raspberries.

I processed almost the entire batch into jam, and froze some of the leftover raspberries for later. The jam I made is really a very old fashioned kind! It is very simple to make and requires just 3 ingredients. Actually the original recipe has only two ingredients - I added a third. The lime to break the sweetness and add a little tartness. The taste is just amazing. You can forget about store-bought jams after you taste this lovely preserve.

Ingredients:
8 cups raspberries
4 cups sugar
1 large lime

Method:

1. Wash and clean the raspberries, dry on a kitchen towel, then invert into a heavy bottomed stainless steel pan.
2. Pour 1/2 cups sugar over the raspberries and allow them to marinate in their own juice overnight.
3. Add the remaining sugar, and cook the raspberry-sugar mix on low heat until all the sugar has melted - there should be no granules visible.
4. Increase heat to medium, bring the mix to a heavy rolling boil. Boil for around 10 minutes. Stir constantly.
5. Reduce heat, add the lemon juice, and allow the jam to cook and thicken for another 10-15 minutes. 
6. Check to see if the jam is jelling. If yes, turn off the heat. 
7. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Then pour into cleaned jars. Seal.

This jam tastes superb on hot buttered toast and pancakes. Use as a topping for vanilla ice cream or a filling for your favourite sponge cake or cookie.

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