How to make raspberry freezer jam

I had a couple people ask me about how to make jam after my post, Bread and Jam. They wanted a recipe, and if you've never made freezer jam before, it is just about the easiest thing ever to make. We made some raspberry freezer jam this weekend, so I thought I'd share in the simplicity and absolute deliciousness of the process.

First, you start with these:


Then, you find someone like this to pick them:


It helps if you have some moral support:


Once you have the fruit, you get the rest of the ingredients. Pectin can be found in any grocery store around the canning supplies. The box comes with instructions about exactly what you'll need; how much fruit, how to prepare it, how much sugar, etc.


Then, just follow the instructions. Basically you mash up the fruit and combine it with the appropriate amount of sugar. Tons of sugar...if you are afraid of calories, jam is not for you, although there are some pectins out there for sugar-free jams.


Boil the pectin with some water:


After stirring the pectin into the fruit/sugar, you pour it into containers:


I like these containers, they're 2 cups so they're not too big and they stack up nicely in the freezer. After sealing the containers, you let them sit out at room temperature for 24 hours and then store them in the freezer if you're not going to use them immediately.

Easy, huh?