"I hope you really like raspberries..."

He's looking at me doubtfully; surveying the red countertops all around the normally white kitchen. There's a couple trails of pink juice trailing down the cupboard faces and my hands look like murder from bringing in all the flats left on our front door step....

all the proceeds of my day's garage sale have been spent....

on raspberries.

Tons and tons of raspberries.

I need a recipe to put these up... and fast.

The subtitle says "For when your long on berries ... and short on time."

It's like this woman knows me.

He's willing to take pictures of my progress but otherwise he retreats to some place that is not going to stain him a shade of pink and says he'll check in on my progress...

I pick out the detritus; I measure berries and smoosh them. I mash them and sugar them and boil them in a pot

I follow the directions and assume my ingredients list is the same as the specific brand of pectin listed in the book...

I have never done this before.

It is 10:00 at night.

It's hot and humid in the kitchen and I'm putting all my utensils to work... the jars I scored and then scrubbed and sterilized

The measuring cup that holds a whole batch of jam

The funnel that doesn't work.....

I pour the jam into the jars and seal them tight. I hear them suck in and put my hands on my hips to survey my work.

I have arrived. I have made three batches of jam.

Martha Stewart eat your heart out....

The next morning I am down the stairs before anyone else is awake. Before I make coffee or even have my eyes fully open I tiptoe to the jars and gingerly pick one up... I tilt it to the side ready to be amazed at how it will hold it's shape and have formed into a gelatinous substance for spreading on my toast all winter.

It slops about like a whole lot of liquid....It's not jam.

A few days later I try again...

Unseal the jars

Add a little more pectin... a little more sugar.

Bring it to a boil

A REAL boil this time.

I let it boil for a solid minute.

I time it more closely than I did my labor contractions with either of my children.

I remove it from the heat and transfer it to the large measuring cup

I am foolish and try the funnel a second time.


Who ever used this thing anyway????


I reseal the jars and stand back to nod my head.

I have REALLY arrived this time... I am a saviour of jam. ... the jam doctor they will call me.


"This time," I tell him... "it will definitely be jam"

Let's just say it's a good thing I really like raspberries.... 

and it's a really really good thing I like raspberry syrup......

cheers.