How To Make Organic Low Sugar Raspberry Jam

Make jam that tastes like fruit, not sugar!

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Raspberries are in Season

Whole Foods had a big sale on raspberries last Saturday. My friend Mitzie loves raspberries and I knew that I would be seeing her the next day so I bought her 1/2 a flat. She was excited! The following day, about 45 minutes into the drive to her house, I noticed a cherry stand which made me think of fruit which made me remember that I left all her raspberries back at the house! I was so upset that she would be disappointed but it would have taken an hour and a half to back track. I begged her forgiveness and hoped that she would find beautiful raspberries nearby.
When I got home, I realized that I had nearly an entire flat of these beautiful berries - the ones we bought for her and the ones we bought for ourselves! After 3 days of eating as many as we possibly could eat, I decided to make a few jars of low sugar, raspberry jam! 
I've written a number of times about Pomona's Universal Pectin. This wonderful product has allowed me to make healthy jam over the years. Other pectins call for more sugar than fruit! 

With 4 cups of mashed fruit (about 2 lbs of fresh raspberries), you can use less than a cup of sugar when you use Pomona 

What You'll Need
* 4 one cup jars with 2 piece caps. Although the bands can be reused, always use new lids.
* A boiling water canner - since I only was making 4 small jars, I just used a deep pot with a rack inside. The pot should be deep enough so that the jars are submerged at least 1 to 2 inches under boiling water.
* A small masher to mash the fruit.
* Measuring cups and spoons.
* A wooden spoon.
* A saucepan to cook the jam.
* A jar lifter (my favorite tool to move hot jars around without burning your hands).
* A plastic funnel to help you fill the jars.
* A small ladle to transfer the jam into the jars.


Directions to make 4 cups of organic, low sugar, raspberry jam - Instructions from Pomona
4 cups mashed raspberries (I started with about 2 pounds of berries)
3/4 cups organic cane sugar
2 teaspoons pectin powder
2 teaspoons calcium water
A boiling water canner full of boiling water (make sure you have it boiling by the time you are filling the jars with hot jam!)


1. Make calcium water by putting 1/2 teaspoon of the white calcium powder into a small clear jar with a lid and adding 1/2 cup of water. Shake well before using and store in the refrigerator between uses. 

This makes much more calcium water than you will be using. It will last several months in the refrigerator. Discard if the white powder discolors or gets moldy.
This recipe only calls for 2 teaspoons of calcium water.

2. Wash and rinse jars (run them through the dishwasher if you have one to get them sterilized).
Pomona says you should let them stand in hot water but I generally take them out of the dishwasher and turn them upside down on a clean towel until I need them.
Bring the lids and rings to a boil in a small saucepan: turn down the heat and let them stand in hot water.


3. Mash the raspberries until you get 4 cups of mashed fruit. 

Raspberries are fragile and mash very easily.

4 cups of mashed raspberries

4. Place the mashed raspberries into a pan and add 2 teaspoons of calcium water. Stir well.

Stir calcium water into the mashed raspberries.

5. Measure sugar into a separate bowl. 
Add 2 teaspoons of the tan pectin powder to the sugar and mix them thoroughly.

Thoroughly mix the pectin into the sugar.

6. Bring fruit to a boil.
Once boiling, add the pectin-sugar to the boiling raspberries.
Stir vigorously for 1 - 2 minutes, until the pectin-sugar mixture dissolves. 
Return to a boil and remove from heat.

It only took me a minute to dissolve the small amount of pectin-sugar mixture into the boiling raspberries.

7. Fill jars to 1/4" to the top. 
Wipe rims clean and screw on 2 piece lids.

You can use a plastic funnel to help you ladle the hot jam into the jars or you can just carefully spoon it in. 

8. Using a jar lifter, place filled jars into boiling water canner. Make sure they are covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of boiling water. 
Cover the pot and boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 feet above sea level). 

This isn't a boiling water canner. Since I was only making 4 one cup jars, I just used a deep pot with a circular rack on the bottom.

9. Carefully lift the hot jars from the boiling water bath with a jar lifter.
Let jars cool on a rack. When they cool, they will make a big popping sound! That means they are sealed but check the seals to make sure. They should be sucked down.

Carefully remove jars from boiling water.

Cool on a rack. They will POP when they seal. I love that sound!

10. Now for the best part. Eat the jam on toast, muffins and bagels. It also makes a great topping for pancakes and waffles. For a treat, use it as a topping for ice cream!

Eat on toast

What's better than chocolate ice cream and raspberry jam?

You can use this same recipe for Strawberry, Kiwi, Currant, Gooseberry, Sour Blackberry, Sour Cherry, Sour Plum and Pineapple!
Other fruits may require the addition of lemon or lime juice and varying amounts of calcium water and pectin. You'll find these instructions inside each box of Pomona Universal Pectin.
Enjoy!