I'm making raspberry jam or puree

[blissful]

I'm not posting a question, just that I'm making a raspberry puree/jam to get the frozen berries (from the vines) out of the freezer and into jars.


There's 3 methods of making it before the waterbath process for canning.
A jam. Using pectin and sugar, use approve methods.
A puree. Using lemon, cooking it down a little, use approved method for puree of fruits.

The old fashioned jam making, getting it to a temperature of 220 deg F.


I'm using the third method and adding honey for sweetness, near the end of the process.


In an electric roaster (today), or on the stove with a triple bottomed pan, it takes about 5-6 hours to reduce the volume by half and get the temperature up above boiling temperature. It's just easier to do with the electric roaster with the non stick finish. A little less stirring.


Sometimes I thicken a very concentrated berry jam adding apples or pears for an increase in volume and texture.


I'll be canning these tonight. It's so hot and HUMID here, I'll be cooling off in the bedroom with AC and going to the kitchen to get it done. Waterbath canning.


Raspberry is one of our favorite flavors, along with cherry and strawberry flavors too. The house smells delicious.

[dragnlaw]

Do you have a sheltered area near the kitchen, with a plug? Could you do your reducing out there for a couple of hours.

I did onions in the slow cooker in the garage one year. I like the smell of onions but some of the others didn't... too bad, so sad!

ps
that puree sounds wonderful... I can almost smell it now.

[blissful]

Dragnlaw, good idea.....I could move it outside. I keep my dehydrator outside, currently with lemon balm and yarrow in it.


Having it outside is good for onions, and especially garlic. We once dried our garlic in the garage, it was way too strong with our humidity in there.



My son came up from the basement and I asked him if he liked the smell. He said it was very very strong, but good.

[dragnlaw]

We have our garlic down in the shed right now. I wanted to move it to the garage where "perhaps" the humidity is a bit lower. However, my son has several jerry cans in there - I don't want them to pick up that gasoline smell!

One of the few smell I cannot abide - gasoline and especially diesel!

edit,
can you believe, I went changed all the z'to s's in gasoline, then from s to z and now going back to change them again from z to s

go take a nap, dragn..

[bethzaring]

In the early evening tonight, I will be working up about 10 pounds of large white onions for the crockpot. I shred the onions in the food processor and need to run the kitchen exhaust fan while shredding! The onions will caramelize overnight and I will can them in the morning. Neither of us mind the overwhelming aroma of onions.

[dragnlaw]

In this heat and humidity I hate to turn the oven on. but bread has been calling me.

So I try to do it early in the day, have the exhaust fan going all the time. By the time they get home, other than the aroma, which is of course, loved, they can't tell the kitchen is hotter than any other day. A/C is running all this time.

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I made a raspberry jam one summer, trying both a chinois, and a ricer lined with cheesecloth to remove the seeds. The resultant jam was superb. The work to get the seeds out took more muscular strength than i have anymore.

Do you remove the seeds from your raspberry jam; and if so, by what method?

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

[blissful]

Chief, I don't remove the seeds at all. We both eat high fiber plant based, so they really don't bother us in any way.

This year was our second year with the raspberry plants. We harvested about 8 qts which is a pretty good harvest for the second year. We're expecting doubling that or better next year (2-20 ft trellises), and then maybe I'll consider giving it a try, to remove the seeds.