Going local

There are a lot of great berries around here-at pick your own farms and in the "wild". Although strawberry season is at its end, blueberries, raspberries, and black raspberries are ripening across the south of New Hampshire. Support local by going to pick-your-own berry farms. I'm more familiar with SW NH-New Ipswich, Greenfield, Milton, and many others boast their own berry farms. These farmers often offer other goods, as well, because no one wants to put all their eggs in one basket.

Strawberry/Raspberry Jam
4 cups mashed berries
2 t pectin
2 t calcium water
3/4 c honey or raw sugar


Start heating your big canning pot 1/2 to 2/3 full of water (depending if you want to use 1/2 or whole pint jars for 'ze jam). Place jars, lids, and rings in heating water, place on lid. Mix sweetener with pectin. Heat berries and calcium water on medium, stirring frequently. When it boils, add sweetener/pectin mix and stir for next 1-2 minutes, then take off heat. When canning water begins to boil, remove jars (with tongs) and fill with jam, leaving 1/4 inch at the top empty. Remove rims and lids from boiling water (magnetic pointer is awesome, but tongs work, too) and place on jars. Put jammed and tightly sealed jars into boiling water for five minutes. Remove and let cool.

What do you do with leftovers? Stick it in the fridge and eat it in the next week (although I doubt it will last that long.) Or mix and match with a new batch of jam. Have fun! Don't worry. It's hard to mess up jam...even if you do things in the wrong order, you'll still have a tasty, jam(-like) substance. :)