Ingredients:
3 cups lightly crushed raspberries (about 1 1/2 lb)
3 tablespoons powdered pectin*
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons chopped Thai Basil

Directions:

Evenly sprinkle the bottom of the Ball Jam Maker with the pectin. Spoon the fruit in a relatively even layer over the pectin. Press the jam button. You will hear a beep at 4 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar and Thai basil over the fruit mixture while the machine is still running. Cover and wait for the jam cycle to complete. Press the cancel button and unplug the machine. If not using a Ball Jam Maker, make the jam on the stovetop using the traditional method as seen in this recipe.

Ladle the jam into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process in the hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Yield: about 4 8-oz jars

*I recommend these jars of flex batch pectin. 3 tablespoons equals 1/2 of a pouch of boxed pectin.

Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Here is a bunch of other canning books and equipment I find useful.

My thoughts:

I’m always excited to can something made entirely from things (well, not the sugar, I’m not quite to the point of harvesting my own sugarcane yet) from my own garden. This year our raspberries have really taken off and we’ve been getting quite a harvest. Not enough to make a HUGE batch of jam but enough for about 4 jars from only 2 day’s worth of berries. I used my jam maker while I was busy cooking other things but you can, of course, make this jam the old fashioned way using the same proportions. Another plus for small batch canning, I can use a regular stockpot and my insert from the home canning discovery kit instead of my usual huge rack and giant canning pot. The water boils so much more quickly! I made this whole jam start to finish in about 35 minutes, including the 10 minute water batch and crushing the berries. Can’t beat that!

The Thai basil was at the suggestion of my husband, we’re growing some in the garden and it is doing quite well. We both love adding fresh herbs to berry and fruit drinks and desserts so why not jam? It added a bright herbalness that was great with the sweet raspberries.