We Be Jammin!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am participating in a jam exchange being held over on Stephchows. There are still a couple of weeks before I actually needed to make the jam, and the fruit looked so good. I couldn't help myself!

The two jams I decided to make were Quadruple Berry and Pineapple-Rhubarb. I wanted something different and bit unique. The idea of Triple Berry sounded so good and was actually going to be the first one I attempted. It consists of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries...three of my favorites all together. I ended up at Whole Foods pretty early on Sunday morning to pick up the raspberries when I came across my other love: blueberries. "Surely I can add that to my triple berry and it will still taste good," I thought to myself. I grabbed a pint and made my way to the register as I tried to come up with a creative name for the jam. Black and Blue with some Red? Um, no. Bruised Ego Jam? Better. Quadruple Berry? Well, yes that's true. Nothing really stands out to me, so if you can come up with a creative name, I'd be eternally grateful (I might even be convinced to give a jar away to the person who came up with the best name...Hint hint!).

I'm in a love-obsession with rhubarb at the moment so I decided to try something a bit less conventional. I love pineapple and was so happy to come across a recipe that paired the two (I really didn't want to have to go the predictable route and use strawberry). I was a bit concerned that it wouldn't turn out since it called for way less sugar than the berries and absolutely no pectin (this was my first time so I had no idea what I was actually doing).

Overall, I'm happy with the outcomes. The berry jam is by far the better of the two (I'm counting down the minutes until breakfast so I can try it on toast). I actually think I'd like it with a schmear of peanut butter which you all know I just don't like. The rhubarb one is good, not great, but good. I think it would taste better heated up a little and put on a waffle or giant stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes. I'm still trying to come up with something special to add to the package that I'll be sending to my jam buddy. I'm excited to see what everyone else comes up with, but mostly I'm excited to hear if the person i get likes what I made. Enjoy!

Quadruple Berry
I adapted this recipe from the Triple Berry recipe in the Sure-Jell box

2 pints strawberries, hulled
1 1/2 pints raspberries
1 pint blackberries
1 pint blueberries

7 cups sugar, divided

1 package pectin

1. Be sure all of the berries are cleaned. Crush berries into a large pot and mix together.
2. Mix 1/4 cup sugar with the package of pectin. Add this mixture to the berries and stir. Heat the berries to a rapid boil.
3. Add the remaining sugar and bring back to a rapid boil for exactly one minute. Remove from heat.
4. Fill your sterilized jars to within 1/4-inch of the top. Place sterilized lid and band on the jar and process for 10 minutes. Allow to rest in a cool dark place for 12 hours or overnight.

Pineapple-Rhubarb Jam
Recipe from Rhubarb Info

8 cups rhubarb, chopped
4 cups sugar
2 cups pineapple, chopped

1. Mix all ingredients together and boil to jam stage, about 30 minutes, being sure to stir the mixture every so often (I would do a little less, maybe begin checking on it at 20 minutes). Pour into sterilized jars and process as you would any other jam.