This is a super fast and easy way to use up summer’s delicious fruits. This jam will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. If you make this to give away, make sure you label it with the date and that it needs to stay refrigerated since we’re not sealing the jars up. I love this because you can use whatever fruits are on sale and simply adjust the lemon and sugar, depending on which fruit you use. This tastes great on toast, bagels, waffles, pancakes, and even ice cream! You can also mix several fruits, like different berries to come up with some unique flavors.
Makes 1 half-pint jar (8 ounces) for approximately $3.00, depending on what fruits you choose and of course if you grow your own, it will be super cheap!
Gluten free and vegan.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups fruit of your choice
- 1 small lemon
- 1/4 cup white sugar, plus more as needed
- pinch of salt
Directions:
Put 2 or 3 spoons in the freezer for testing the jam consistency.
Clean and cut fruit into large chunks, discarding seeds, stems, pits, cores. Slice a 1-inch wedge from lemon.
Combine the fruit and sugar in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add pinch of salt. Squeeze lemon juice from the wedge and drop the rind in the pot. Turn heat on to medium and mash the fruit until you get a chunky texture. (I use a potato masher I got from the Dollar Tree for this.) Don’t mash the lemon rind too much because we’ll pull that out later.
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. When it begins to boil, continue stirring. When bubbles become thicker and smaller, about 8 to 10 minutes, start checking to see if the jam has set. Remove a spoon from the freezer and dribble several drop on the spoon. Wait a few seconds and then run your finger through the jam. If it leaves a track in the jam, it’s done. If not, keep cooking and test again after a few minutes.
When you test if the jam has set, also taste it. If it needs more sweetness, add 1 or 2 teaspoons sugar. If it needs more acidity, add a bit more lemon juice. Stir any additional lemon or sugar into the jam and continue cooking until set. If the jam has already set when you first test it and you need to add sugar, go ahead and add it and then continue cooking a minute or two more until the sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat. Discard lemon wedge. Spoon into jar and let cool. Store in refrigerator.
*Depending on what fruits you use, some contain a higher water content so some fruits may take longer to jam up than others.