Cottage Jam

That first summer we spent at the cottage, we realized that there was a large crop of wild raspberries along the roadside into the cottage. They were turned into delicious raspberry pies.

Every summer, we would also make a trip to Sudbury to visit family. Each trip also included going into the woods to pick wild blueberries.

Fresh wild blueberries and cultivated raspberries

While I was growing up, my Mom would often can wild blueberries and although they were tasty, blueberry jam by itself didn’t have as much flavour as I would have like.

From that thought came the notion of Cottage Jam. Cottage Jam is a delicious combination of wild blueberries and raspberries. As time passed the wild raspberries became harder to find, so I have substituted with cultivated raspberries, but still include the wild blueberries.

This jam is the real taste of summer. Enjoy!

Print recipe

Serves	7 - 8 cups
Inspiration	modified Certo recipe

Ingredients

2 Pints fresh wild or cultivated raspberries
1 Quart fresh wild blueberries
1 Pkg pectin crystals (such as Certo)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
6 Cups granulated sugar

Directions


Wash the raspberries and allow to dry on paper towels. Crush the raspberries one layer at a time. Use a sieve to remove some of the seeds. The result should be 1 1/2 cup of crushed raspberries.

Wash the blueberries and then crush one layer at a time (a potato masher is a good help). The result should be 3 cups of crushed blueberries.

Mix the fruit together.

In a large pot (the fruit will double or triple in size when at a boil), add the mixed fruit, lemon juice and pectin crystals.

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Add all the sugar. Return to a hard boil for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat. Stir and skim (any foam that may have formed) for about 7 minutes, to prevent floating fruit.

Meanwhile, pour boiling water in your canning jars. Put the lids in simmering water to activate the rubber which seals the lids. Fill a boiling water canner 2/3 full with water and bring to a boil.

To fill the jars, empty the water and ladle in the hot jam into the jars, leaving a 1/4 inch of headroom. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth. Remove the lid from the simmering water and place on the jar and then secure with screw ring. Place in the boiling water canner and process with the canner lid on for 5 minutes.

When the jars come out of the canner, place them on a heat proof trivet and leave them undisturbed for 12 hours. Then write the date on the lid and store in a cool spot. The lids will start to snap as the jam cools in the jar.