Raspberry Jam

This morning I got up early and canned a batch of raspberry jam. I picked up a few quarts of fall red raspberries at the Davison farmer's market a few weeks back and had crushed them and froze them. This morning I thawed them out, added some sugar, brought to a boil and canned them into jam. So easy and about an hour from start to finish... not bad at all. I'm so excited to have this jam on hand. I love raspberry jam. I'm not sure if raspberry or strawberry would be my favorite, they're probably tied. I'm sure I'll be making these jams year after year since they're just so easy and they'll be a big money saver, not having to buy commercial jams/preserves anymore. I ended up with one pint and seven half-pints of this jam, so combined with my strawberry jam, I think we're set for the year. (Although I actually wouldn't mind making up another batch of strawberry jam sometime.)

Raspberry Jam With No Added Pectin
(Page 23 of the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)

9 cups crushed berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, dewberries, gooseberries, loganberries, youngberries, or a combination of these)
6 cups granulated sugar

Prepare canner, jars, and lids.

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the berries and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and test gel. If gel stage has been reached, skim off foam. (You can test the gel stage with a spoon, but the easiest way is to just boil the berries to reach 220 degrees, which ensures a gel stage once it cools - and it worked, too)

Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace. Wipe rim, center lid, screw band on to fingertip tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.