Monday 6 August 2012

Making: raspberry freezer jam

Over the weekend I decided to make some raspberry freezer jam. I'd hoped this summer to visit a pick-your-own farm, {inspired by this post} but am not sure that will happen, so have ploughed on with the jam-making regardless. This is my first attempt at making jam!

I decided on freezer jam as it's easy, and so tasty! There's no cooking required.

Ingredients:

*550g raspberries {my recipe called for slightly more but I bought 2 punnets of raspberries at 225 each}
*900g sugar
*4 tablespoons lemon juice
*1/2 bottle Certo

 

Just add the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice and stir. When it looks like the sugar has dissolved, add the Certo {in my supermarket this was beside the golden syrup, it's liquid pectin} and stir for a few minutes. Leave for 24 hours, and then freeze in small containers. Keep in the fridge when opened.


Of course, I had to decorate it with my new jam decorating kit. I've already eaten some, in my porridge and on wheaten bread, but I'm not sure I'll make it again in a hurry because of the huge quantity of sugar! When there's more sugar than fruit, that can't be good, although it looks like normal jam uses less sugar - but still a lot. It's like the time I made my own buttercream icing, that put me off fancy cupcakes for life! Have you ever realised something is seriously unhealthy when you've made it from scratch? Or, if you've got any good recipes for reduced sugar jam, let me know!

8 comments:

Michelle said...

Love the jar decorations. It is scary making jam but as long as you don't have it all the time no harm surely?

Katie said...

Interesting, I'd never heard of this freezer method before. I think the large amount of sugar is needed to react with the pectin and cause the jam to gel, but higher pectin fruit (citruses, apple and blackberry) can get away with less sugar.

Lynne said...

Michelle - sounds good in theory but I've never been good at exercising restraint...

Sneaky Magpie said...

Looks delicious! We went back for strawberries and gooseberries and now is time for black currant and raspberry. I must start making jam, I haven't made 1 jar this year

Katie said...

That looks delicious, and I love your labels.

Linda said...

WoW looks so good! granny would be proud x

Caroline Hancox said...

Freezer jam?! Sounds like a good plan - never heard of making it that way. Last year my boyfriend made plum jam but we had so much of it we had to do an emergency trip to the shops to buy huge mason jars to fill up! I've never seen so much mess - I came home from work to find jam everywhere and my boyfriend in the middle of it all!

Anonymous said...

Try Dohertys superjam! Sweetened with grapejuice instead of sugar, it tastes fresher and is probably healthier. He has made a small cookbook, google superjam.
Yummi!