Homemade Jam Making Myths - Debunked
- You need fresh fruit to make jam. Just about everyone I know who makes jam has a garden. They make jam to squirrel away the summer's bounty in jars for yearlong enjoyment. I made this cranberry jam because I like jam. I used frozen cranberries and intend to consume it all this week.
- Jam making is an all-day event. I made this cranberry jam in ten minutes. That's just ten minutes, people!
- You need special equipment and sterilized jars to make jam. Sure, if you plan to eat your jam next year, you'd better be careful about how you package it. I don't want to hear about anyone dying from botulism because they stuck this jam in their basement in an unsterilized glass jar for two years. But, if you plan to eat your jam within a week, you don't even need a jar (make only what you need for the week and store the jam in a bowl in your refrigerator).
This SIMPLE cranberry jam was as good as, if not better than, any store-bought jam I've had. Knowing what I now know about how easy it is to make, I don't know why I'd ever buy it again. This same technique would work with all different kinds of berries.
