Low Sugar Raspberry Jam

On the weekend I visited Bratasha Farm farm on the Granite Belt and purchased a box of fresh raspberries that had been picked just the day before. The quality was amazing; perfectly ripe, large berries, packed with intense flavour.

While we did eat some of the berries fresh, back in Logan, south of Brisbane, in the Green Living Australia kitchen, we decided to use our low sugar pectin and make a low sugar jam out of some of our harvest. Here is the recipe for you to try at your place.

Ingrediants:

• 1 kg fresh raspberries, washed
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 500 grams sugar
• 30 grams Low Sugar Pectin

Before you start your jam making, place a small pate in your freezer, ready to use to test your jam for set.

• Place your raspberries into your jam making pot, along with the lemon juice. Turn the heat on medium - low and warm the berries to release the natural pectin. As they heat up the berries will start to soften and breakdown.

• Keeping the heat set at medium - low, and once the fruit has softened, add 450 grams of your sugar, while stirring. Continue to stir until the sugar has dissolved.

• Mix together your remaining 50 grams of sugar and your pectin.

• Increase the heat and bring your jam to the boil. Once boiling add your sugar/pectin mixture, while stirring to ensure you get no lumps in your jam.

• Bring the jam back to the boil and cook over high heat for two minutes.
• Test you jam for set. Remove the small plate from the freezer and place a teaspoon of jam onto the plate and place the plate into the fridge for a minute. Remove the plate from the fridge and using your finger push a line through the jam. If the jam is set wrinkles will form on the surface of the jam and the line through the jam will remain.

• Once the jam has set it is time to pour it into 250 ml jars. Make sure that the jars are hot so you do not have problems with hot liquid going into cold jars and cracking the glass. Fill the jars with your jam, leaving a 15 mm head space. Wipe of the rim of the jar to remove any spilled jam and then cap with new lids and tighten them down.

Head space required to get a good seal

• Process your filled jars using the boiling water bath method. If you pre-sterilised your jars process at boiling for 5 minutes. If you did not pre-sterilise your jars, process for 10 minutes.  
• Once your jars have been processed, using a jar lifter so you do not scold yourself, remove the jars from the boiling water and place them on the kitchen counter to cool.

• When you jars are cool they are ready for storage for later use. Be sure to label your jars with the name of your jam and the date you made it.
• Naturally, it is also totally understandable if you open a jar right away and have jam and cream with scones, That's what we did and a wonderful afternoon tea it made too.

Enjoy