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Surprisingly easy, Four Berry Jam uses a frozen four berry blend.  It’s a low or no sugar jam that comes together quickly and uses stevia or other sugar free sweetener.

 

I remember helping my mother make pickles once. I’m not sure how many times we actually made pickles, but I remember that one time. We soaked the cucumbers in lime. I had to extra careful not to get any one me. It causes chemical burns if you’re not careful. Since I didn’t want to get burned, I was careful.

 

I would have to say that is the start of my journey in canning. That one memory piqued my interest in making other products preserved in jars. Mainly, jams, jellies, and butters. I honestly think it all started with wanting to make my own apple butter, but don’t quote me on that.

 

 

The next time I remember is purchase a bushel of peaches at a flea market. They were slightly over ripe and Dad suggested I make some peach jam or something along those lines. So, there I was, on the back deck up to my elbows in peaches. I pitted and peeled them all! And made the best peach jam I’ve ever tasted.

 

As with all successful adventures in the kitchen, you want to see if you can do it again with different ingredients. That lead to strawberry jam, peach butter, pear butter, apple butter, and the list goes on and on. I even made some lemon grass jelly! And, of course, pepper jelly which is something my nana made.

 

 

At some point I wanted to try my hand at raspberry or blackberry jam, but those buggers are expensive! Even to this day they’re expensive. At least in my head they are. Four dollars for a small half pint of blackberries is insane to me. But I really did want to make some berry jam!

 

That’s when I turned to frozen fruits.

 

Frozen berries in particular! I could get blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries in frozen form cheaper than fresh. Heck, I could even get a four berry blend that had them all in there. So, I grabbed a couple of bags and headed to the kitchen to make a four berry jam.

 

 

That was quite a long time ago. I hadn’t made any jams or jellies until I made pepper jelly a few years ago. The poor hubs. He cannot stand the smell or taste of strong vinegar. And, of course, pepper jelly is mainly vinegar, peppers, and sugar. The whole kitchen smelled like vinegar. I had to open the sliding door in the kitchen to air the place out. I didn’t mind it because it reminded me of making some for our Derby parties.

 

I’m going to say this and you’re not going to believe me. Making jam and jelly isn’t difficult. I learned this by jumping in feet first and trying my hand at it. If you go the pectin route, you can simply read the directions on the package and make some good jams or jellies.

 

 

What is pectin?

 

Pectin is a naturally occurring substance in berries, apples, and other fruits. When cooked with sugar, it thickens whatever you’re cooking. The packages that you can pick up at the store (Sure Jell or Certo are two of the main brands) contain mainly apple based pectin with some citric acid and dextrose (corn sugar).

 

I’m sure Nana didn’t use pectin when she was a little girl in Tennessee. She probably stood over the pot of boiling or simmering fruit, stirring, until it reached the consistency of jam or jelly. Which you’re more than welcome to do. However, you’d have to change up the recipe to add some sugar with the fruit instead of putting it in after the fruit as cooked.

 

 

Pectin is the main reason I say making jams or jellies is easy. It shrinks the time you need to cook the fruit to reach the perfect consistency. It could take as long as 30 minutes to an hour or more without pectin, but just takes 1 minute of boiling with pectin. So, the choice is yours!

 

Just look at that color! You can have that in about 10 minutes start to finish. Minus cooling time, of course. From the time I put the fruit into the pan to the time I poured the jam into the jars was about 10 minutes. And that’s because my fruit was still frozen. I really should have thawed it. Please do thaw the fruit.

 

Of course I had to slather some on buttered bread and taste it! There was a small amount left in the pan after filling the jars and, well, I cannot throw goodness like that down the drain. I grabbed a recycled jar from the pantry and put the remainder in there. Once cooled, I spread some onto buttered bread and devoured it!

 

 

The berry flavor is so good. The four berry jam is the perfect combination and has just the right amount of sweetness for me. I’m not a super sweet person. If there’s too much sugar, I’m not going to like it. That’s why I always grab the pink, low or no sugar Sure Jell from the grocery.

 

Not sure where to look?

 

I can usually find a section on canning in the grocery stores. At my Walmart, it’s near the home goods like plates, bowls, kitchen utensils, and kitchen towels. I’m not sure where it is in Harris Teeter or other stores, but probably where the jams and jellies are. It only makes sense I my head.

Monday Berry Week Recipes

• Blackberry Dumplings by Eat Move Make
• Blueberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Galette by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Easy Strawberry Mousse Dessert by Blogghetti
• Four Berry Jam by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Mixed Berry Bread by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Strawberries and Cream Scones by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Very Berry Salsa by The Freshman Cook