Jam 101: How to Make Jam with Whatever Fruit You Have on Hand

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By the author of The Prepper’s Canning Guide

Perhaps the very easiest thing to can is homemade jam.  It’s not very expensive, it’s simple, and once you’ve learned how to make jam from one fruit, others just cooperatively fall into place for you.  It’s a great way to get started canning. These instructions include the use of commercial pectin but if you’d prefer to take it up a notch, here’s how to make jam without any pectin at all.

The instructions for basic jams are all pretty much the same – you only need to make minor modifications for different fruits.  So, because we’re all creative people, I’m laying out the basic how-to, giving you a chart with special instructions fruit by fruit, and you can take it from there.

Ingredients

• 8 cups of fresh or frozen fruit
• 1 packet of pectin + ¼ of a package (I like to use the no-sugar-needed, but then still add sugar – just less!)
• 4 cups of sugar
• 2 tbsp- 1/4 cup of lemon juice

Directions

1.      Prep your fruit by washing it and cutting it up if necessary.

2.     Smush your fruit.  You can do this with a potato masher, food processer, blender or food mill.  For some fruits I like to puree them and have a smoother jam and for others I like chunkier jam – it’s up to personal preference.

3.     In a small bowl, use a fork to mix ¼ cup of the sugar with one packet of pectin.

4.     In a saucepan, stir the fruit, lemon juice and pectin together well.

5.     Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.

6.    Once it is boiling, stir in the sugar and return to a boil for one minute.

7.     This is important:

8.  Ladle the jam carefully into your awaiting (sanitized) jars, wipe the rims and cap your jars with snap lids and rings.

9.     Process in a water bath canner, according to the ingredients chart and making adjustments for your altitude.

Jam Making Chart

FRUIT	SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS	PROCESSING TIME
Apricot	Peel, slice in half to pit	5 minutes
Blackberry	optional step: mill to remove seeds	10 minutes
Blueberry	optional step: puree	7 minutes
Cherry	Pit with a cherry pitter, chop before cooking	10 minutes
Grape	Mill to remove seeds	10 minutes
Huckleberry	Check for stems	10 minutes
Peach	Peel, slice in half to remove pits	10 minutes
Plum	Slice in half to remove pits	5 minutes
Raspberry	Crush with a potato masher	10 minutes
Strawberry	Remove cores, mash with a potato masher	10 minutes

If you are using more than one fruit in your jam, follow the instructions for the fruit that takes the longest to process.  For example, if you are making a blackberry and plum jam, process for 10 minutes instead of 5 minutes.

What about you?

What is your favorite kind of jam? How often do you make it? Do you have questions or suggestions to add?

Let’s discuss it in the comments and please let me know how your jam turns out!

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.