Initially, I taught myself to can for two reasons–homemade pickles and homemade jam.  Over the last 3 summers, I have learned a bit about making jam and thought I’d share a few tips and tricks here.

• If you like thicker jam, soak your fruit (prior to pureeing) in 1 cup sugar for 30 minutes; pour off juice
• Puree fruit in a blender or food processor to desired consistency then pour into bowl or pot; if you want thicker jam, pour the fruit through a fine sieve and pour off some of the juice
• For every 8 cups of pureed fruit, I add the juice of half a lemon and all the pulp inside (not including the pith or the skin that divides the pulp into sections).  I carefully take my thumb and start at the middle then push out the pulp to the edge of the lemon and stir into…