jam update: superfast raspberry tart!

Ok, I am on a major jam-making roll these days. We went to visit newlyweds Jeff and Nancy yesterday (my dear friend who’s bridal shower I recently hosted). I promised Jeff I would show Nancy how ridiculously easy it is to make homemade jam. Jeff took me seriously and was ready when we arrived, having purchased Ball jars at OSH Saturday afternoon. I brought my 9 quart Dutch oven and we picked, jammed and jarred their home-grown raspberries in about 45 minutes – no kidding!

We only had 4 cups of fruit but it was enough to fill FIVE 4-oz jars. So, even if you have the smallest amount of fruit, you can create delicious jam at home!

We added 3/4 cup sugar and the zest and juice from the short half of a fresh lime. Because the volume was relatively low, it took only 25 minutes until the jam was ready. Nancy didn’t have any butter on hand so we skipped that part – I didn’t notice any more foam than before and will probably omit butter from future batches of olallieberry jam.

We tasted the results this morning at breakfast: just tart, fresh raspberries – not sugary-sweet like commercial jams. The consistency was compote-like (again), and simply marvelous. For more detailed instructions, see my earlier post: http://dirtandsunshine.posterous.com/picked-jammed-and-jarred-in-90-minutes – thanks to anyone who’s commented with their suggestions. I really appreciate it!