Grandma’s and their mysterious ways. That’s the first thing we thought when Tyson read off the shopping list for his grandmother’s raspberry jam. And yes, we double-checked and triple-checked to make sure we had everything written down correctly. That is indeed raspberry Kool Aid, plum juice, and margarine you see in the ingredient list. Okay Emma Loo, we’re going to trust you on this one. Because seriously, this sounds crazy! But if that’s how grandma did it, that’s how we are going to do it.
One thing we absolutely love about canning and preserving is keeping up with family traditions. The scents and sounds of cooking up jam in the kitchen trigger some core memories. And this jam was a Blue Ribbon winner in the Morgan County Fair. Tyson said he helped his grandma make it countless times. So with his help, we were ready to jump in with both feet and just trust the recipe and the process. Guys! Here we go.
The recipe starts out with fresh raspberries, which you would expect. But then it takes a sharp left turn with plum juice and raspberry Kool Aid. Then it calls for one package of pectin, which we swapped for E-Z Gel because it gives us a little more control over the consistency with easier steps. You bring those ingredients to a boil and start mashing down the raspberries as they cook. Next, add four whole cups of granulated sugar. Adding that much sugar to anything usually freaks Heather out and we had to talk her off the wall, reminding her that raspberries can be very tart and sugar helps build up the preservatives in the jam. Then comes the margarine. Yep. Add that to the hot mixture and let everything simmer on medium heat until it reaches the desired consistency.
Once the mixture is ready, transfer it to the jars and process them according to your method of choice. This year, we have really liked using the steam canner for processing and preserving. It has been an easy learning curve since it’s basically the same as water bath canning, but with less water. And we are getting more comfortable every time we pull it out. So if you are looking to get started with canning, we highly recommend investing in the steam canner first.
Now, when Heather was at the store we had to make a few last minute substitutions. She couldn’t find plum juice, so we ended up with grape. And the Kool Aid mixes were sparse too with no raspberry in sight. So we ended up with a raspberry lemonade there instead. Even with a few substitutions, all of us agreed this raspberry jam was delicious. Ours came out a little more grapey. But that was fine! It was perfect by itself on plain toast and it was even better paired with ricotta and prosciutto. And our heads were buzzing with all the things we wanted to experiment with. We can’t wait for you to give this recipe a try.
In a large pan (not cast iron or aluminum), combine raspberries, plum juice, Kool Aid, and E-Z Gel. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Add sugar and mix until dissolved. Stir in margarine. Transfer to jars and either allow them to cool at room temperature or process with a water bath or steam canner. Emma Loo's Blue Ribbon Raspberry Jam
(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)
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