Well, Ihave just finihsed a batch of blueberry jam as local berries are
around even in NYC(New Jersy berries). I use the pectin for low suar or
no -suar added jams and prefer surejel to Mrs. Wages because it lasts for
years in the box without clumping, so if I overbuy or don't get berries at
tehend of the season I canwait untilthefollowing year.

I like farily soft jam so end up making rather more with the eone box than
they say, ending up with over 6 cups of jam. I add mu non-nutritive
sweetener when I open the jar, rather than addingit when making it as I
don't always trust the lasting power of the sweetener.

A few ips with the no-sugar jam. because sugar , itself, is a
preservative, when you make jam without sugar once it is opened it doesn't
last long in the fridge so pack in in no bigger than 8oz jars and make
sure they are well sterilized and sealed. If you will not be suing the
whole jar fairly quickly, you can stick it in the freezer adn thaw and
even refreeze without real loss of flavor.

Follow the instructins on th ebox, except for the quantity of berries(as I
mentioned ealier). If you like it soft, you can get twice as much jam
from a batch, saving work time. I usully use a potato masher, but as I
made this batch inthe city rather than upstate, I didn'thave one here so
used my hands to squoosh the berries with plastic gloves on. Kind of
slippery adn you have to be sure to squeeze each bery as they are tough
skinned. Next year I may try the food processor as they now suggest it,
but only on a few pulses as you want chopped, not pureed.

I used 5 pints of berries to get the 6+ cups. Although they say just wash
the jars in hot soapy water, I am from the old school and boil the jars
before filling, using the same pot and water to put the filled, sealed
jars i for the 10 mins of boil after packing. that was how I ws taught
agesagso still do it.

Don't do this inthe middl eof a heat wave. I waited for today which is
the first day we have been below 90 and the humidity is way down)no need
fo the air conditioner last night, just the ceiling fan did the job!. It
still it swety work, but today I amable to cool down with just a fan
runing :-)

This is the season to do this as so many berries are ripening. A bit late
for strawberries, but rasberries, blueberries adn, for me, soon
blackberries upstate make for gret jams. I stick to berries as I prefer
them to , say peach jame and I never can be really sure of getting nice
juicy peaches instead of the dry tasteless kind.

In the past I used to do applebutter, also no sweetener, but it is a big,
overnight job and there is only me so I don't have need for so muchas I
did when the kids were home takign lunch to school.

Wendy