Jam jam nomnomnom jam

So the main plan of my weekend was the attempt to make raspberry jam. The good old fashioned proper jam. Vintage girls need proper vintage jam!

I know I've mentioned it a lot with say crocheting, but when my gran died we also lost the main person that knew the old fashioned way of making yummy jam mainly strawberry or raspberry. Yet with the decreasing number of raspberry jams limited to one in our cupboards and with a spare boxed of picked raspberries from last year remaining in the freezer, the time came to give it a bash.

We used a Mrs Beatons recipe - one where you couldn't really get much simpler in making anything really. Basically using the same amount of however much your raspberries weigh, add the same in sugar [eg 1KG in raspberries = 1KG in sugar]. And that's it - which when you compare it to the endless list of indigents in your shop brought variety its rather shocking. The sugar doesn't even have to be the special jam sugar [although that's apparently advisable to use when making strawberry jam].

The defrosted raspberries all ready for the boil.

All completed and ready to eat

The key element when making jam is doing the cold saucer test - one to see if the jam is ready to set and involves using a cooled saucer and a dollop of the jam left for a few minutes and titled to see if a "cease" in the skin of the jam occurs when its titled to it's side. It's easier to see then to explain.

I really can't say enough how easy it is to make your own jam and I'm glad I gave it a whirl. I've grown up always having the home made sort and once you've tried it, you'll never wanna go back to the shop brought!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend and managed to enjoy some of the sunshine - hasn't it been gorgeous?!