Raspberry Lime Jam

I figured berry season was the perfect time to join in all the canning fun. I wanted to use local fresh fruit and as little sugar as possible so I could enjoy my jam without hesitation. I also added a twist to a plain raspberry jam by adding a significant citrus kick with lime juice and the powerful zest.

I had lots of traditional pectin around my house, but grabbed a box of Pomona's Universal Pectin at Whole Foods at the last minute for this Raspberry-Lime Jam because it gels regardless of the amount of sugar you use. Pomona's pectin calls for making a calcium water to aid in gelling and they supply the calcium powder with every box of pectin. But it's easy, you simply add a little calcium powder to some water and stick it in the fridge before you start jamming.

I'm also going to give just the basic canning instruction here, if you've never done it before check out your copy of the Joy of Cooking or one of the online resources recommended by Food in Jars.

4 cups ripe red raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
Zest of one lime
2 teaspoons calcium water
2 teaspoons pectin

Wash and mash your berries. This is easy enough to do with a fork to ripe raspberries. Combine mashed berries, lime juice, lime zest and the measured calcium water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl mix the sugar with the pectin and add to the boiling fruit. Stir vigorously for two minutes to dissolve the pectin and bring jam back to a boil and remove from the heat.

Carefully fill your sterilized jars to 1/4 inch of the top. Wipe the rim of the jar clean, place on the lid and screw on the band. Then process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the jars from the water and let cool completely, about 12 hours.

My yield was about 4 1/2 cups of finished product. Delicious finished product.

Each 2 Tablespoon serving of Jam contains 0g fat, 20 calories, 9 carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber.