How to Bottle Raspberry Jam

Bottling raspberry jam is one of the best ways to preserve it! Follow my step by step tutorial to learn how to bottle raspberry jam today.

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Raspberries are one of my husband’s top 5 favorite foods ever. So about eight years ago I learned how to bottle raspberry jam so we could enjoy the taste of fresh raspberries year round. I’m not even kidding when I say that this is the only jam we eat in our family. We put it on ice cream, waffles, pancakes, crepes, toast, muffins and pretty much anything else you can think of to put jam on. Or just eat it out of the jar with a spoon because, yes, it is that good.

Every summer when the raspberries are ripe, I buy at least two cases of them and bottle our raspberry jam for the next year. Next to bottling homemade applesauce, this is one of the easiest and least time consuming foods to bottle.

So let’s get started:

I recommend setting everything you need up before you start. Before you go any further, make sure you have the following items out and ready:

• clean pint jars with lids and rings
• small pot (to boil your lids in)
• large pot (to cook your jam in)
• wooden spoon
• silicone potholder
• potato masher
• medium bowl (to measure the sugar into)
• 1 cup measuring cup
• metal tongs
• wide mouth funnel
• kitchen towel
• fine mesh strainer

First, lay your kitchen towel out on the counter next to the stove. Place your clean jars (lids and rings off) on the towel. Put the rings next to the jars. Place the lids in the small pot and fill it with water so the lids are completely covered. Set the pot on the stove and turn it on the lowest setting you can to get the water simmering.

Next, put the tongs within reach of the pot with the lids and the silicone potholder next to the jars. Set the funnel on top of the first jar you’ll be filling. (I like to put the 1 cup measuring cup on top of the funnel so it’s easy to reach and doesn’t get anything dirty while I’m using it to scoop the jam into jars.)

Now, take the large pot you’ll be using to cook the jam and put it on the stove with the wooden spoon next to it.

Now you’re ready to get the jam going. It only takes a few ingredients to make the jam.

First, wash your sink out and fill it 3-4 inches deep with cold water. Dump your raspberries into the cold water and move them around with your hand to loosen any dirt, leaves or anything else that might be on there.

*NOTE* I use 10-12 6 oz containers of raspberries per batch of jam. I only wash and drain the raspberries I’m using for the current batch in case I can’t get to the rest of the raspberries right away.

Remove the leaves and other bits you don’t want to end up in your jam. Using a strainer (I like the metal mesh strainers with a handle), scoop and drain the water from the raspberries. Then place them in a large bowl.

*DISCLAIMER* Moving forward, I will give you the instructions that I use to make and bottle one batch of raspberry jam. They are different than what you will see on the recipe that comes with your pectin. I’ve been doing it this way since I started making raspberry jam and it turns out great every time.

Use your potato masher to smash the raspberries. It’s not necessary to make sure every single raspberry is smashed, as they will break down further when you are cooking them. Once mashed, pour the raspberries into the large pot on the stove.

In the medium bowl, measure the sugar into it.

*NOTE* Here is one of the major ways my measurements differ from those included with the pectin. I always swap the amounts listed for the raspberries and the sugar. This is because if the raspberries are ripe, you shouldn’t need much sugar to bring out their sweetness and flavor. For example, if it says to use 6 cups of crushed raspberries and 8 cups of sugar, I will use 8 cups of raspberries and 6 cups of sugar. The instructions that come with the pectin might say that you should use a different type of pectin if you are going to do a less sugar or no sugar needed recipe but I’ve always just used the regular pectin and adjusted the fruit and sugar ratios.

Add the lemon juice, butter and pectin. Turn on the burner to high and stir.

Bring the jam to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred), stirring constantly.

Add sugar to the raspberries in the pot and continue stirring to combine. Bring the jam to a full rolling boil again. When it gets there, set a timer for 4 minutes and stir constantly to prevent it from burning. Remove the pot from the heat when the timer goes off.

Immediately start scooping the jam into the first jar using the measuring cup, leaving 1/4″-1/2″ at the top. Move the funnel to the next jar you will be filling. Then use your tongs to pick up a lid from the simmering water and place it on the jar, followed by a ring. Continue this process until all the jam has been poured into jars.

Next, use the silicone potholder to hold onto the hot jar and make sure the ring is on tight. I usually do this at the end of the batch because I want to get the hot jam into jars as quickly as possible. Then, I flip the jar upside down and let them sit for a few hours.

After about 6 hours I usually check the lids to see if they have sealed by pressing down on the middle of the lid. If it pops up, let it remain upside down for a few more hours and then check again. In the case that it doesn’t seal, you will need to refrigerate it and eat it within 3 weeks. For all jars that seal, you can flip them upright and store them in a dark, cool place for up to 1 year.

With the measurements listed in the recipe below, I can get 6-7 pints of jam from one batch.

*NOTE* It is recommended in the instructions included with the pectin to process your jam by boiling it in a canner. I have never followed this recommendation and have found the jars to seal just fine by placing them upside down as mentioned above. (The purpose of processing is to kill any remaining bacteria in your bottled food and to help seal the jar so you can preserve it.) However, if you would like to process your jam, I highly recommend using a steam canner, as it uses less water and takes less time to heat up as a result. The instructions from your pectin box should have an altitude chart you can refer to so you know how long to process the jam for.