Red Currant As Well As Raspberry Jam

It's been gloomy, rainy as well as chilly all week; fall is correct to a greater extent than or less the corner here inward Alaska; that besides agency it is berry picking time!!

Today I whipped upwardly a batch of ruby-red currant - raspberry jam which is picky-picky husbands all fourth dimension favorite. Lucky for us, these berries grow inward the woods to a greater extent than or less our identify as well as I've been using them to brand this jam for over 35 years now.  Hubby likes this recipe then much that HE picks the berries without me holler for him to!!

The ruby-red currants actually brighten upwardly the raspberries as well as the combination is but delicious (and gorgeous)!!

3 cups of crushed red currants (measure afterward crushing)
3/4 loving cup water
four cups raspberries (frozen berries are OK)
vii cups granulated sugar
1/2 loving cup liquid pectin (I purpose Certo)

Crush the ruby-red currants (I purpose a white patato masher) as well as mensurate 3 cups into a heavy pan. Add 3/4 loving cup of H2O as well as boil for 10 minutes.  Strain the mixture amongst a sieve as well as supply the juice to the pan (throw away the solids)

Add the raspberries and saccharide to the currant juice as well as choose to a difficult rolling boil (one that tin dismiss non hold upwardly stirred down); boil for ane amount infinitesimal min exactly (stirring constantly).

Remove from estrus as well as stir inward liquid pectin until good mixed; skim off whatever pinkish foam (throw the foam away). 

Pour the hot jam into construct clean as well as sterilized jam jars, wipe the rims construct clean amongst a clean wet
towel and position on the lids. Process inward a hot H2O bathroom for 10 minutes.

Makes 8 cups of jam

A NOTE  ABOUT  RED  CURRANTS

In the woods to a greater extent than or less our house, nosotros cause got raspberries, ruby-red currants as well as high bush cranberries. My foremost jelly making "adventure" (a meg years ago) involved high bush cranberries (they grow inward profusion to a greater extent than or less hither as well as they are a lot of fun to pick).

Thinking that I had striking the "berry woman nurture lode", I was so proud of my huge harvest. It wasn't until I started cooking them that I realized they weren't ruby-red currants (high bush cranberries odor similar dingy gym socks when you lot gear upwardly them). 

 A lot of people DO consume high bush cranberries, but they commonly mix them with other fruit to assistance mask the rigid "sock taste".  Let's just tell I didn't brand that error again, lol !!

So..... for my immature Alaskan friends who are kickoff to brand jam, don't make that same mistake. This is what a high bush cranberry looks like:

A ruby-red currant is real different... they await similar this:

NOTE: It is ever a race between us and the birds for these ruby-red gems. If I hold off until they are ALL ripe, the birds commonly win, then I alternative as well as freeze....pick as well as freeze, until I cause got plenty for a batch of jam (these berries freeze VERY well).

NOTE: This recipe uses a liquid pectin called CERTO. I'm guessing that a powdered pectin would operate well, but I've never tried it amongst this recipe. It takes 1½ pouches of liquid pectin (1½ pouches = 1/2 cup). If you lot purpose the powdered pectin, brand certain you lot follow the cooking instructions on the box.

NOTE: If you've never processed jam inward a hot H2O bathroom (it is super simple), instruct to this spider web site for some specific instructions:   http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/waterbath-canning-highacid-foods.html