Introduction: No-Sugar-Added Wild Raspberry Jam
First there was the berry picking basket, and then there were the abundant wild raspberries available for picking in my town.
After eating a great number of fresh, tart raspberries and dehydrating another good quantitiy, I decided to try my hand at making the rest into jam. At this point, only about a pound were left. So this recipe made a grand total of one jar, but more diligence could produce others.
You could modify this by adding other berries to it. I chose to just use what was readily available around town.
This is only my second canning experience, so please feel free to educate me in the comments. :-)
Step 1: Materials and Supplies
- About one pound of berries
- Two packets (or two teaspoons) of Stevia powder
- One tbsp orange juice
- Low/no-sugar pectin
- Canning jars with lids
- Pots for heating lids, jars, jam, and canning
- Other canning tools, like lid magnet, jar lifter, canning basket, funnel
Step 2: Preparation
Make sure all jars and lids are cleaned with hot, soapy water, and that the lids all fit the jars well, with no dents that would interfere with sealing.
Fill up a couple of pots with water. Bring a small pot to boil, then turn off the heat. Add the lids to one, and let them sit in the hot water.
Meanwhile, put the jars in a larger pot. Heat the water and the jars up together, to prevent breakage. Preheating the jars means they won't break when you add the hot jam.
I used the same large stock pot for heating the jars, and later canning the jam.
Incidentally, I found this pot at the thrift store. It was missing a lid, but I had a silicone lid (purchased separately) that fit it.
Step 3: Prepare the Raspberries
I rinsed the raspberries in a strainer to make sure they were all good. Then I mashed the raspberries with a potato masher, first with about half, then adding the rest, so they mashed up well.
After that, I added about a tablespoon of orange juice and the two packets of Stevia. This took the edge off the tartness.
If you are fussy about seeds, you can strain them out too.
Step 4: Cook the Jam
Put the raspberry mix in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. While you are stirring and it is heating, slowly add one tablespoon of pectin.
Once it reaches a rolling boil, let the mixture boil for a minute, then turn the heat off.
Step 5: Preserving
Remove the jars from the water, and pour the jam into the jars. Check for bubbles. Put the lid on finger-tight.
Add jars to canning basket. There should be 1-2 inches of water above the jar(s). Bring to boil and cover, boiling for ten minutes.
Turn off heat, remove pot lid and let sit for five minutes.
Remove jar from pot and let sit for 24 hours. The lid should be indented, showing it has sealed. If it doesn't, then put it in the fridge for immediate use.
Step 6: Finished!
Enjoy a little bit of summer all year round!
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18 Comments
11 years ago on Introduction
Ah, more a no-sugar-added than no-sugar, cautionary for those with diabetic needs.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
well.... there really is no way to make jam with real fruit while still removing the natural sugars. No Sugar Jam for diabetics cant be free of natural sugars... can it??
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
It is the choice of fruit to use as explained in many sources out there.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
You know, it is a good point. I avoid sweets and sugary fruits anyway, though I have excellent blood sugar (maybe that's partly why), but I do have to say this jam is the least sweet jam I have ever eaten. Yet it is fruity and delicious. I would be willing to bet money that it has more fiber and less sugar than these: http://www.heathglen.com/diabetic.html . I have no scientific way of measuring it, but from my body's reaction (I'm very sensitive to carbs/blood sugar spikes and don't like the way they feel), this jam would probably be safe for diabetics.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Yes, true. But I suspect the sugar levels are low as it is. The berries and jam are tart and not too sweet. Wish I could test it.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
It's too bad that nowadays there are so many people with conditions or allergies to certain kinds of food that we become so uptight as to making sure things are classified and labeled correctly. I know a few that take things to the extreme and will not touch anything that has sugar - natural or processed, carbs that are not whole wheat, etc. Look up some of the canning ibles to see how they measure sugar content with the optical device, I've seen them do maple sugar syrup with it.
11 years ago on Introduction
Oh how I wished I had some fresh wild berries! I have had some with hot peppers in it and it was very very good!
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
I'm hoping my garden produces hot peppers so I can make them into jelly. Right now I'm battling critters for the right to eat the produce. :-)
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
I had planted peppers one year that were so hot I could not eat them! I can eat peppers with the best of them LOL!
11 years ago on Introduction
I would strongly encourage you to omit the pectin. One of the best things about wild raspberries (aside from the great taste!) is that they are very high in natural pectin already.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Why is that? What harm is there in adding the pectin? With the pectin, it turned out well - slightly looser than standard jelly, but a nice preserves consistency.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Well, I guess my point was that, in the case of wild raspberries particularly, you already have plenty of pectin in the fruit itself. Your readers, inspired by this instructable, can make great jam without procuring the additional ingredient.
Either way, I'm sure yours tastes as great as mine. For those of us who must live through long cold winters, popping open a jar of your own raspberry jam is a welcome taste of summer.
I hereby withdraw the word "strongly" :)
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
That's a great point. Adding pectin does no harm, though I think with these particular raspberries, it did help a bit. They might be too runny otherwise.
I made mulberry preserves before this, because I discovered I was suddenly allergic to the raw ones, but I love them. The preserves turned out utterly delicious, and that was without any pectin. I did add some sugar, about half of what was recommended by the recipe, which also did not suggest any pectin. Mmmm. I wish I still had more of that!
11 years ago on Introduction
looks great
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Thank you!
11 years ago on Introduction
Looks absolutely delicious!
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Thank you! It is. It tastes almost like fresh tart raspberries!
11 years ago on Introduction
Great! I like it..