Like mum used to make.

My dad loved gardening. The problem with this is that often he bought bucket loads of produce into the house for mum to do something with it. I often sensed my mum’s despair on what to make to use up all the fruit and vegetables dad brought in. Mum got creative with canning, bottling and freezing. She would make her own raspberry cordial, pickle gerkins, freeze tomato puree and make loads of berry jam.

Every year mum would make batches of jam each year. Mainly plum and raspberry jams because that’s what we seemed to have an abundance of.  As I grew up, I viewed jam-making as being rather old-fashioned. Something I’d never do myself. Until I found myself inundated with fruit at home. Then I too turned to making my own jam. I now have an appreciation as to why mum made her own jam. I mean… buying a jar of it from the supermarket is so easy and it’s not that expensive to do so. But it was a great way to use a whole heap of fruit in a short space of time!

I’ve been making jam now for a few years. This berry jam has become a family favourite but others I’ve made include both plum and strawberry jams. It’s so nice to have your own jams to use in baking or on toast. When I have guests stay with us and I tell them I make my own jam, they’re rather impressed. Yes, making jam these days is a little old-fashioned. I’ve since learned it’s just a smart way to use lots of fruit when you’ve got more than you know what to do with!

If you’ve never made your own jam, give it a go. It’s super easy!

Homemade Berry Jam

If you've never made your own jam, give it a go! I guarantee it's not hard and yet a wonderful way to use up excess fruit you have available. This combination is so delicious. The pureed strawberries add a wonderful base to the whole blueberries included.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share on Facebook

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

• 400 g Fresh Strawberries, washed, topped and chopped
• 100 g fresh blueberries, washed
• 500 g white sugar
• 25 g jamsetta powder

Instructions

 

• Before you start, sterilise the jars and their lids to get rid of any bacteria. Either put them in the sink (lids unscrewed from jars) and cover them with boiling water from the kettle, filling the jars with the water; or simmer them, completely immersed, in a very large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes; or lay the jars and lids on a baking tray in the oven and heat them at around 100°C.
• Add the strawberries into a blender and whiz them to a puree. Add this into a medium sized saucepan.
• Also add into the saucepan the blueberries, sugar and jamsetta powder.
• Cook on medium heat until it boils, then simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently and use a wooden spoon to squash the blueberries against the side of the saucepan to release the juices and colour. The blueberries in this jam will give it texture against the pureed strawberries.
• Turn the heat off, carefully skim any foam off the top of the jam then leave it to cool a little.
• After about 15 minutes, divide the jam between your sterilized jam jars. Leave to cool completely then cover the jars and pop them in the fridge.

Notes

• If you want to include more texture, puree 300g of strawberries and finely chop 100g.
• Instead of blueberries, add either blackberries or raspberries. This is your chance to get a little creative with the jam you make!
• You can buy jamsetta powder in almost all major supermarkets. You can also buy special jam making sugar but this isn't as readily available. If you do use jam making sugar, you can omit the jamsetta powder from the recipe.