There's something special about berry jams. During the depths of winter, mixed berry jam on toast is both comforting and a reminder of the sunshine and good times of summer. It's particularly nostalgic if you have memories of picking or foraging berries for jam from your childhood.

If you grew the berries yourself, it is so rewarding having a reminder of that harvest well after those plants have finished producing for the season. Being a mixed berry jam, you can simply combine whatever berries you are able to harvest on a given day. If growing your own isn't for you at this time, you can still enjoy this jam using packets of frozen mixed berries from the supermarket.

This mixed berry jam recipe is much lower in sugar than traditional recipes which allows those berry flavours to shine without being overshadowed by too much sweetness. 

Whilst berries are typically lower in pectin, we haven't added commercial pectin to this recipe. Instead, we've used what nature provides at this time of year and added lemon juice and zest to increase the pectin levels. This jam has a great set, you'll love it!

The instructions provided below are for water bath preserving. If you prefer to use the hot fill / open kettle method, please see the notes at the end.

Makes: 3x 250mL jars

Ingredients:

• 1 kg mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
• 350 g sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup lemon juice

Method:

1. Prepare the water bath canner adding just enough hot water to cover the jars. Set it over a high heat to bring to the boil while you prepare the jars and jam.
2. Wash jars and lids/seals in warm, soapy water, rinse and let drain on a clean tea towel. Place the jars into an oven dish (right way up) and pop them into a low oven (around 100°C) until ready to fill. The lids/seals can be left on the clean tea towel until ready to use.
3. Weigh out the berries and remove any stems and blossom ends if needed. I find it useful to quarter the strawberries. Combine all ingredients into a heavy based stock pot. To break apart the berries, use either a potato masher (chunky blend) or stick blender (smooth blend) - you can do this at this stage or once the berries have cooked and softened a little. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium heat allowing the sugar to dissolve before a gentle boil is reached. Boil for approximately 20-25 min at which stage the set point should be reached - if you are starting with frozen berries then this will likely take longer. Test for the set point using the sheeting or cold plate method.
4. Remove the jars from the oven and fill with hot jam to ¼” headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean the rim. Place the lid on the jar and screw on band until finger tight.
5. Place the jars on a rack into the water bath making sure there is at least 2 cm of water above the jars. Once the water has come back to the boil, heat process the jars for 10 min.
6. After 10 min, turn off the water bath, remove the canner lid, and leave the jars in the water for another 5 min. After 5 mins, remove the jars and place on a folded tea towel or wooden chopping board. Leave the jars undisturbed for 12 – 24 h before checking that they have sealed. Wipe down the outsides of the jars, allow to dry and then label and date before placing in your pantry.  

Notes for using the hot fill / open kettle method:

If you prefer to use the hot fill / open kettle method, you will need to:

1. Clean and sterilise the jars and lids, keeping them hot until ready to fill. I find placing the jars into an oven set at 100-120°C the easiest option for sterilising the jars and place the lids into boiling water and gently simmer until ready to use.
2. Once the jam has reached its set point, remove the jars from the oven, fill with boiling hot jam to close to the top of the jar (no more than¼” headspace), remove any air bubbles, wipe the rim with a scalded cloth then screw the lid on tight.
3. Leave to cool for 12 - 24 h before testing the seals. 

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