This recipe and method works for most summer fruits and berries – try mixing some together for a special blend! My favourite is cherries, blueberries and cranberries.

Here’s how I make a simple ‘berry jam: this makes about 1 pint/500 ml jar (or 2-3  ‘small’ canning jars)

Ingredients:
3-4 cups fresh berries, washed, hulled, cleaned
2 cups white sugar
1 t. lemon juice

Equipment:
2-3 preserve jars (1/2 pint or pint jars) with lids OR
small plastic freezer containers

1. Wash, clean and trim fresh strawberries – cut into quarters
2. Put into flat pan or bowl and mash with back of large spoon or potato masher to crush and extract some juice. Do not puree or blend – you want some berries left!  Measure 2 cups berries & juice.
3. Put berries into pot on stove, add 1 t. lemon juice and gently heat on medium until almost boiling (mash a little more if too many big chunks left).
4. Add two cups white sugar and stir well. Bring to boil then reduce heat to med-low and cover pot for 5 minutes.
5. Remove lid & stir – increase heat to medium. Foam will start to form on top of the jam – skim off with a spoon. The more foam you skim, the clearer the jam will be.
6. Continue to boil on medium heat, skimming foam as it appears and stirring occasionally to make sure it isn’t sticking or burning on the bottom. (Reduce heat if it starts to stick)
7. After about 10-15 minutes, use a metal teaspoon to remove a little bit of the syrup and set aside to cool for 1-2 minutes. Jam is ready when the syrup jells on the spoon.

**If it’s not jelling, raise the heat to a full boil STIRRING CONSTANTLY TO KEEP FROM BURNING & test every 2-3 minutes for jelling***

8. Once the syrup is jelling, remove the pot from the heat and put lid on.
[9. Optional:  Stir in 1 T. of your favourite liqueur flavouring: grand marnier, amaretto, cassis, brandy all work, for example.] 10. Prepare jars or use freezer containers. Fill glass jars with boiling water and let sit for a few minutes, then empty and fill with hot jam. Seal with canning cap & lid. For freezer containers, let jam cool before putting into plastic container. You can put both the jar (let jars cool first) or the plastic container in the freezer. Or if you plan to eat it right away, just put it in the fridge and start using it up!