Fresh Raspberry Jelly Food

RASPBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Combine fruit and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, mashing occasionally with a potato masher, until fruit is very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a fine sieve set over a heatproof bowl; let drain without pressing on fruit, 4 hours. Strain again through sieve lined with damp cheesecloth. Measure juice; you will have 3 to 4 cups.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot, bring juice to a boil. Add 3/4 cup sugar for each cup of juice. Add lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Return to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, 8 to 12 minutes. To test if jelly is done, dip a large metal spoon in, lift it horizontally above pot, and let mixture drip back in. Jelly is done when mixture has thickened slightly and drops of it slide together off spoon in a sheet. (Temperature should register 221 degrees on a candy thermometer.) Skim foam from top.
• Ladle jelly into clean containers, leaving 3/4 inch of headroom. Let cool completely. Cover, label, and refrigerate up to 1 month, or freeze up to 1 year.

RASPBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Toss the raspberries, sugar and lemon zest and juice in a medium saucepan to combine, then mash slightly to release some of the berry juice. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the raspberries to macerate and the sugar to dissolve. Meanwhile, place a small plate in the freezer to chill; this will be used to test the doneness of the jam.
• Place the saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium, stirring frequently. Continue to cook until the jam becomes thick and syrupy, about 25 minutes. To test doneness, place a small amount of the jam onto the chilled plate and freeze for 2 minutes. Drag your finger or spoon through it. If the jam holds its shape and thickness, the jam is done; remove from the heat. If it's runny, continue to cook and test again in 5-minute increments. Once the jam has reached the right consistency, transfer to jars and cool completely before storing, covered tightly. Jam will keep in the refrigerator up to 6 months.

OLD-FASHIONED RASPBERRY JAM

Steps:

• 1. Place sugar in an ovenproof shallow pan and warm in a 250°F (120°C) oven for 15 minutes. (Warm sugar dissolves better.)
• 2. Place berries in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, mashing berries with a potato masher as they heat. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• 3. Add warm sugar, return to a boil, and boil until mixture will form a gel (see tips, below), about 5 minutes.
• 4. Ladle into sterilized jars and process as directed for Shorter Time Processing Procedure .
• Tip: To make a small boiling-water canner, tie several screw bands together with string or use a small round cake rack in the bottom of a large covered Dutch oven. Be sure the pan is high enough for 2 inches (5 cm) of water to cover the jars when they are sitting on the rack.

RASPBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Wash raspberries, removing any stems, leaves or rotten berries.
• Transfer clean raspberries into a large, stainless steel stock pot, and heat over low until barely warm. Crush berries (I used a potato masher) to extract juice.
• Line a big sieve or colander with several layers of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. I use a big 8-cup marked measuring bowl. Pour mashed raspberries into colander, tie cheesecloth up into a bag, and hang to drip for several hours or overnight.
• If you have a really good juicer, scoop remaining pulp out of cheesecloth bag and run through the juicer. Otherwise squeeze your cheesecloth bag on regular intervals to make sure you extract as much juice as possible.
• wash out your jars, lids and rings. put jars into canning kettle and bring to a boil. place rings and lids in a bowl of hot water.
• Measure your juice, and the pulp you get from the juicer (here's where the marked measuring bowl comes in handy :-) ). You want 4 cups of juice. Add a little fruit juice or water if necessary.
• Pour raspberry juice into your large, stainless steel stock pot, and add your dry pectin, stirring the whole time you are adding it.
• Place pot on stove on high heat, and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring often.
• pour sugar slowly into boiling rhubarb (a second pair of hands is useful for this step!), stirring as you go.
• Keep stirring to prevent sticking and burning, until mixture returns to a full boil. Continue to boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when done.
• pour jelly into processed jars, putting on lids and rings, tightening to finger tight.
• process in water bath in your canner for 5 minutes.
• remove and place on a dry towel to cool for 24 hours. Lids should pop down fairly quickly. Enjoy!

FRESH RASPBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Combine the raspberries with the sugar in a large saucepan.
• Cook over high heat, stirring constantly until a jam thermometer (or candy thermometer) reaches 230*-240*F, the soft-ball stage.
• Ladle the jam into hot, sterilized jars and seal.

HOMEMADE RASPBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Before you start, sterilise your jars (see tip below) and put a plate in the freezer to chill. Tip half the raspberries into a preserving pan and add the lemon juice. Mash the berries to a pulp over the heat with a potato masher, then leave to cook for 5 mins. Tip the cooked berries into a sieve over a bowl, then once all of the juice has drained off, firmly work the pulp through the sieve with a wooden spoon until you are left with just the seeds.
• Tip the juice and pulp back into the preserving pan and stir in the sugar. Heat gently, then add the remaining whole raspberries. Bring to the boil, then boil rapidly for 5 mins. Remove from the heat and drop a little jam onto the chilled plate. Now push your finger through it - it should wrinkle and look like jam. If it doesn't, boil for 2 mins, then test again.
• The top of the jam may look like it has sediment on it, but I find that if you stir it well as it cools, a little of this disappears. Pour into the jars and seal. It will keep unopened for a year, although the lovely bright colour will darken a little. Once open, keep in the fridge.

QUICK RASPBERRY JAM

Steps:

• In a large skillet, combine raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Cook over high, stirring, until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer 3/4 cup jam to an airtight container. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain remaining jam into container, pressing on solids. Discard seeds. Stir jam to combine: Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate, up to 1 month.