Ingredients

• 2 c. crushed strawberries or blackberries (about 1 quart berries)
• 4 c. sugar
• 1 package powdered pectin
• 1 c. water
• Yield: About five or six half-pint jars

Directions

Sterilize canning jars and prepare two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer's directions. To prepare fruit: sort and wash fully ripened berries. Drain. Remove caps and stem; crush berries. To make jam: place prepared berries in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, mix well and let stand for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dissolve pectin in water and boil for one minute. Add pectin solution to berry-and-sugar mixture; stir for two minutes. Pour jam into freezer containers or canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space at the top. Close covers on containers and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

To store: store uncooked jams in refrigerator or freezer. They can be held up to three weeks in the refrigerator or up to a year in a freezer. Once a container is opened, jam should be store in the refrigerator and used within a few days. If kept at room temperature, the jam will mold or ferment in a short time.

On average, 1 tablespoon of fruit jam has about 50 calories, 0 grams (g) of fat, 0 g of protein, 13 g of carbohydrate and 10 milligrams of sodium