Although Summer is pretty much over you can still enjoy the Summer’s bounty by making your own jam for the coming winter months. It’s been a while since I have made my own jam and I was excited to try a new flavor. While raspberry, strawberry and blackberry are staples in my pantry I decided to go with something a little different like this cherry jam. Making jam is really easy and at it’s most basic it’s boiling fruit and sugar together. I like to use a little pectin and lemon juice to make sure my jams are nice and thick. To get rid of the foam on top, add a pat of butter into the mix but that is optional as well. I just skim the foam after my jam reaches a full boil. The combination of the vanilla and cherry flavors were delicious and I have been enjoying it on toast with black tea every morning!
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Jam
Blackberry Blueberry Jam
It’s blackberry season and of course the perfect time to make blackberry jam. Blackberries and blueberries make a great pair since their colors are so robust and the flavor of the berries is so good! The jam was less thick than other jams, which allows for a little more versatility. It’s great mixed in with yogurt or as an ice cream topping, but still works fine on toast.
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Cranberry Raspberry Jam
Making new kinds of jam is pretty easy since there are so many combinations that go well together. I am a big fan of cranberry sauce and I thought it would add a little tartness to raspberry jam. The jam turned out really well! It was not very thick so I could use it for other things besides as a spread on toast. Since it’s more like a sauce than a jam, I’ve been adding this to plain yogurt and really enjoying the results. This definitely has been one of my favorite jams so far.
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Strawberry Lime Jam
Jams are fun and easy to make, so I just keep trying new kinds! Jams require an acid component, like lemon juice, so I decided to go with lime juice for something a bit different. The lime zest also amped up the lime flavor of the jam which I liked quite a bit. Oddly enough, it reminds me of strawberry pez. You would think this would be strange on toast but it actually works quite well!
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Raspberry Almond Jam
Making jam has been pretty fun and has yielded some great results. The spiced blueberry and mango cardamom jams have been great, and I wanted to try a raspberry jam too. The almond extract was a nice addition to the jam that I had never tried before. The extract has a cherry-vanilla flavor that goes very well with the raspberries. Another option is to add about 2 teaspoons of amaretto liqueur for a stronger almond flavored jam.
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Spiced Blueberry Jam
I’m on a jam making kick, and I have been liking the spiced jam varieties since they are hard to find in stores. Like the Mango and Cardamom Jam, I wanted to explore the combination of fruit and spices with this recipe. The jam turned out very well and I liked the clove and cinnamon flavors with the sweet blueberries. Next time I might mash up the blueberries a bit more before cooking. I assumed that when the fruit cooked the skins would fall apart but they didn’t. I look forward to having this jam with toast in the mornings!
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Mango and Cardamom Jam
I wanted to make a really unique tasting recipe for my first experiment with homemade jams. You can make jam without using pectin, but I wanted to give it a try and see what happened. It added a thickness to the jam that was nice. The mango with the cardamom were very tasty together. I left some mango chunks in it for extra texture. It tastes great on toast and even with peanut butter. I look forward to having this with a slice of curried mango bread too!
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