Crushed Boysenberry Jam

By á-170456

Ingredients

• 2 quarts boysenberries - (lightly packed) rinsed
• 3 cups sugar or to taste
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Details

Servings 1

Preparation

Step 1

Combine the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a large nonaluminum bowl. With a potato masher or large metal spoon, press gently on the berries to bruise and lightly crush them. This allows the juices to start exuding freely. Allow the fruit to macerate at room temperature for at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally, and as long as overnight (covered and refrigerated).

Pour the contents of the bowl into a wide, shallow saucepan (not unlined aluminum or iron) and bring to a boil over high heat. With a metal spoon or fine mesh skimmer, skim off any foam that collects on top and reduce the heat to moderate. Continue cooking the fruit mixture for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring constantly the last 10 minutes to prevent the jam from sticking to the pan. When the bubbles begin to change from large intermittent ones to very small all-over ones, the jam is ready. The mixture should be reduced by half and will look like bubbling tar.

To test whether jam is ready, remove 2 tablespoons to a small saucer and place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile turn off the heat under the pan. When the test amount is cool, it will wrinkle slightly when slowly pushed together with your finger. If it doesn't, continue cooking for another 5 minutes and test again. When ready, the jam will be thick but will still flow from a spoon. You can also test the jam by scooping some out in a metal spoon and then pouring it back into the pot. When the jam begins to pour out in a single sheet rather than in several different streams, it's done. The jam will thicken more while cooling.

Make sure you have clean jars and rims and fresh lids that have never been used (lids and rims can be purchased separate from jars). Dip every jar and lid (as well as any other implements that will touch the finished jam) into a large pot of boiling water for at least 3 minutes. Afterward, remove them to a baking sheet and keep them in a 250 degree oven until you are ready to use them.

When the jam is cooked, ladle it into the jars, coming within 1/4 inch of the top (a wide-mouthed canning funnel makes this easy). Wipe the threads of the jar clean and place the lid on top of the jar. Screw down the rim as tight as it will go. Place the sealed jars in boiling water to cover for 10 minutes. Remove them to a sideboard and let them cool.

You should hear a repeated "plink-plink" as the cooling jars form the vacuum that seals the lid. When the jars are cool, test each by pushing down in the center of the lid. There should be no flex in the lid. If there is, return the sealed jar to the boiling water for another round. Do not tighten the rims further. Store jams and jellies in a cool, dark place, such as a pantry.

This recipe yields 5 (8-ounce) jars.

Each tablespoon: 36 calories; 0 sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 9 carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.52 gram fiber.