Berry Jams

Good morning! After my weekend trip to the farmers market, I have been thinking about the bounty of  fruits and vegetables and what I could do to preserve a little bit of summer even as the weather cools and signs of Fall appear.

One thing that came to mind was jams and jellies. Have you ever made jams or jellies? I was on the sidelines for years watching my grandmother but have yet to take the plunge and do it myself. A little research led me to these two recipes from  Martha Stewart, and as they are very simple and easy, I think they are perfect recipes for my first try. 

Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam

Recipe from Martha Stewart

1 quart hulled strawberries

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

In a food processor, process the berries until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a a large skillet and add sugar and lemon juice. Stir until incorporated. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the mixture is thickened and bubbles cover the entire surface. This should take about 10 minutes. Transfer to a jar and let cool at room temperature. Refrigerate for up to ten 10 days. 

Blueberry Jam

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

21/2 cups of blueberries

1 cup of sugar 

11/12 tsp. of lemon juice

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. of lemon zest divided 

Place a small bread plate in the freezer. 

Stir together the sugar, blueberries, lemon juice, salt and half of the lemon zest in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Stir mixture often so that the sugar dissolves. Mash the berries slightly with a potato masher.

As the mixture cooks, skim off the foam that forms with a spoon and discard. Continue to cook  and stir until the mixture thickens. This can take anywhere from 10-16  minutes. Once mixture is thickened remove from heat. 

Take plate from freezer and drop a little jam on it,  return plate to freezer and after a few minutes test with your finger tip to see if  the mixture holds its shape. If the mixture does not hold its shape than return the jam pot to the stove and cook for a couple of minutes more. Then test again. Continue to do this until the mixture is set. 

When mixture is finally set, pour into glass jars and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Image Martha Stewart

What do you think? Do you make jam or jelly already? Is your recipe similar or do you make something more complicated? Do you have a family recipe that you follow?

I will be making these this afternoon so I will let you know how they turn out. 

I hope that you have a fabulous day!