When Life is Sweet, make Jam...........

Good morning to you all!

My, how I have missed posting on here in the last few weeks, and yet, I have been so incredibly busy with family visiting, the garden going crazy, and just life, that it was easier to simply take a break.

Many hugs and much love to those of you who were sweet enough to email me and ask if all was ok, and if we were doing all right here around The Welcoming House.

I am just fine and soaking up every second 

of summer that I can get! :)

One of the things I really have been cracking on this weekend is our jam and fruit for the year. It is such a double-edged sword, isnt it, being able to put up your own food for the coming year? Such a great feeling knowing that come winter your family will be warm, snug, and fed, and yet...

.....

it is so much work and time.

This weekend we had to put up all the wonderful mulberries, cherries and strawberries that we have been blessed with. And just in time too, as the garden is bursting at the seams with green and wax beans that are begging to be put up into soup that my family loves during the winter.

Today I thought I would share my newest jam recipe with you, christened

"So Berry Cherry Jam" by my Littles, who love anything and everything Strawberry Shortcake says on her cartoons.  If you do not have the mulberries, you certainly can use blackberries or black raspberries to replace those in the recipe. This jam does not use pectin, instead being cooked down to a soft set jam just like my Strawberry Jam recipe I link regularly.

Coming up this week we will be talking about my four favorite jam recipes and how I use them for far more than just topping our toast or bagels each year. :)

Hope you try it and like it!

Many Blessing to you and yours, 

Heather

So Berry Cherry Jam

2 lbs strawberries, topped and quartered

2 lbs mulberries, blackberries, or black raspberries

1 lb tart pie cherries, pitted 

4 cups sugar

3 Tbs lemon juice

Place all ingredients into a heavy stock pot, and heat on low until juice begins to form. Stir frequently to avoid sticking and burning. Once there is plenty of juice to make stirring easier, then turn the burner up to medium. Allow to cook for an hour, stirring about every ten minutes. At this point, you will need to puree the contents of the pot. I use a hand stick blender so that I can leave some chunks for those lovely folks in my family that like chunky jam. I then allow it to cook down for another 45 minutes, at medium, stirring every ten minutes, until it reduces again by 1/3 of the pot. This makes a wonderful, rich, soft-set jam that spreads easily and tastes amazing. If you would rather have a harder set to your jam, then after the first hour, and blender time, you would bring to a boil, add a package of powdered pectin, and then bring back to a boil while stirring. Three minutes later, the jam is ready to jar up.

To process this jam, you need to water bath it for ten minutes for a pint jar or jelly jar.

The color is beautiful, isn't it?

Shared with The Homestead Barn Hop.