Homemade Raspberry Jam

I love picking berries.  I have many fond memories of summer after summer berry picking with my Grandma, saskatoons, huckleberries, wild blueberries and raspberries in the patch in her garden.  Even now, 12 years after she's left us, when I'm picking raspberries, I somehow feel Grandma here with me!

Sadly, I don't have a raspberry patch of my own so I had to settle on buying them this year to make my annual batch of homemade raspberry jam.  I've used the same recipe out of the Certo box for years now and it's foolproof, as long as you follow the directions to a tee.

It turned out great, I got eight jars in total and tastes awesome. Always a nice way to preserve a little bit of summer in a jar! 

Here's the recipe if you want to try making a batch yourself:

Raspberry Freezer Jam

3 cups raspberries
5.25 cups sugar
1 box Certo fruit pectin crystals
3/4 cup water

Crush raspberries one layer at a time in a large bowl.  Use a liquid measuring cup to measure out 3 cups of raspberries once crushed.  Add sugar, mix well and let stand for 10 minutes.  Combine 3/4 cup water with Certo in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and boil for one minute stirring constantly.  Stir this into fruit mixture and continue stirring for a full three minutes.  Pour into clean plastic or glass containers with tight fitting lids, no larger than 2 cups in capacity.  Fill containers up to 1/4 inch from the rim.  Cover and let stand at room temperature until set, usually about 24 hours.  Store in freezer or if using within 3 weeks store in fridge.