Boysenberry Jam

After a trip this summer to a berry farm, I somehow ended up with pounds of boysenberries that were just screaming to be made into jam. 

I had never made jam. 

Canning intimidates me.  What happens if my jars don't pop?

(I had been told that was the most stressful part, going through the whole process and the finding that your jars didn't seal properly.)

Well, I lived through the experience and we actually ended up finishing off every last drop of that jam in a little under two months!  It was DELICIOUS!

Now that I am not quite as intimidated by the process, I am thinking I might venture out and make some jam using a few more natural recipes that I have read.  Some have suggested that using apples as the source of pectin works well and using honey instead of sugar is another way to make the jam more natural. 

One thing I never realized, which was a real DUH moment for me, was exactly how much sugar is in jam.  Really, they should be calling it 'a bowl of sugar with some fruit mixed in for color'...sheesh!

Anyhow, the jam was yummy... and all of my jars did pop ;-)