Raspberry Jam in 3 ways

Starting last week, my raspberry canes are producing about 4 cups of raspberries every day. They seem to be slowing, but not by much. While I enjoy a handful of raspberries, even I cannot eat 4 cups every day. The same can not be said for the black cherries I ate last month, but there is no better way to use a really ripe black cherry than to eat it whole and fresh. I'm not ashamed.

Anyhow, I filled the tiny freezer we have with raspberries for later use, but when that was full I still have pints and pints of red raspberries needing to be used, and fast. Since we used about a pint of raspberry jam every week last year, it won't hurt to have some on hand, and I had sugar - so off we went.

The results are fantastic. The first batch, pictured above, had 4 cups of raspberries and 4 cups of sugar. Recipe found randomly online. Cooked until it jelled on a cool plate. The result, to my taste, is too sweet (though arguments can be made that such a state doesn't exist). In addition, it set well, but was a bit 'sticky'. Still, how bad can it be? We'll eat it.

Second batch was mostly like the first, except I used 6 cups of berries and 4 cups of sugar. I was tweaking the recipe, figuring if it didn't set, I'd strain the seeds and we'd have a fabulous raspberry dessert sauce. Again, I cooked until it jelled on a chilled plate. This batch turned out more to my liking. Not quite as sweet, set beautifully. The weird thing was that both of those batches, despite the significant difference in raspberry amounts, made exactly 3 jars of jam (they're about the size of a pint jar). What's up with that?

The third batch was something of a disappointment. I used to love strawberry season for many reasons, but very close to the top of the list was freezer jam. Certo makes a liquid pectin, which, when combined with lemon juice, berries, and sugar makes a wonderful, beautiful, fantastic no-cook jam. I never had a bunch of raspberries to use this with, but if I had I would have. Unfortunately, Certo products are not available in France, and I've never seen a remotely similar product until now. Daddy has introduced a product called 'Ma Nouvelle Confiture' which supposedly makes a no-cook jam. So I bought it and used 200 grams of raspberries, mixed with their sugar/powder product. It's fine, it's good, I won't spit it out. But it's not what it would have been if Certo had been involved. The biggest complaint I have is that it's really, really sour. The sourness almost overtakes every other aspect of the jam. Still, we'll eat it - probably with some Greek yogurt, because the natural creamy sweetness of Greek yogurt makes almost everything better.

That's it for now. Coming soon: Raspberry mousse (without the raw eggs, so not technically a mousse, but the intent is there) and my adventure with making Greek yogurt. I've done it before, so it won't be a disaster. Until then, may all your desserts be worth the calories.