How to Make Delicious Low Sugar Raspberry Jam

There's nothing quite like the unique taste of fresh raspberry jam. This recipe for my low-sugar, no preservatives, healthy raspberry jam is delicious and sweet. It is definitely a favorite in our house and it doesn't last very long!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 6 ½ cups washed, firmly packed, fresh raspberries
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 package low/no sugar, powdered pectin
• 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 4 to 5 glass jars, 2 cup capacity
• Large pot, preferably dutch oven style
• Measuring cup
• Tablespoon for measuring
• Large plastic or wooden spoon for stirring
• Ladle

Steps To Perfect Jam

1. Carefully wash your fresh raspberries, removing any leaves, sticks, rocks, or anything else that shouldn’t be there. Drain them well and blot them dry with a paper towel. You don’t want any extra moisture in your pot. Turn on your oven to about 200 degrees and place your jars on the rack to warm up while you are making your jam.

2. Turn on your stove burner to medium-high heat and place the raspberries and the 3 cups of sugar in your pot. Start stirring immediately, gently. Stir the mixture constantly and consistently.

3. Once the fruit and sugar mixture starts to bubble, add 1 tbsp. of butter or margarine to stop the fruit mixture from foaming. When the constant, rolling boil occurs shortly thereafter, quickly add the powdered pectin and stir in well. Allow the mixture to boil while you stir it for one more, full minute after you have dissolved all the pectin powder in your mix. If some foaming does occur, scrape off the top with a large spoon and discard.

4. Turn off the heat, take out your jars one by one, and ladle the hot fruit mixture into each jar. Seal your jars and place them onto the counter top where they won’t be touched for 24 hours. After 24 hours, your jam should have set beautifully, and is ready to spread on toast, or to be placed in your refrigerator for later use.

Tips & Warnings

• Use an oven mitt to work with your warm jars.
• If there is any foaming (should be minimal to none) during the final boiling period, scrape any foam off the top with a large spoon and discard.
• Remember, there are no preservatives in this jam, so it must be refrigerated.
• Refrigerated jam lasts about one year in the fridge.
• Don’t be tempted to pick up the jars and to see if they are setting. Just wait the 24 hours. This is a key step in getting a perfect set every time without using any expensive or cumbersome canning tools.
• Wash your utensils as soon as you can after ladling the liquid jam into your jars, as the remaining unused jam sticks to the pan and utensils very firmly, and is a mess to clean unless you get to it quickly.
• If for some odd reason your jam does not set, place all the jam out of the jars into a cleaned pot, and follow from step two all over again. This means you will need 3 more cups of sugar, 1 more packet of pectin and 1 more tablespoon of butter or margarine.

[jellyqueen]

on 9/12/2009 Hi,
Was just reading your recipe. I am writing a cookbook and see several errors. First...powdered pectin is always added to the fruit BEFORE the sugar (says right in the pkg instructions). The sugar impedes its effectiveness. Only liquid pectin is added at the end.
Next, jars stores in the fridge should only be kept for about a month. They can get mold growth (inside) that you cannot see.
Lastly, if it does not set,you do not add the 3 cups of sugar again! You will get candy! :-) Jams set at 60-65% sugar conc. (I measure with a refractometer so know the precise amts. when developing new recipes).
If anything, try cooking it for a few more minutes. The No-Sugar Needed pectin says to boil for 3 minutes not 1. Do a test of small amount on a plate in the freezer for a few minutes.