How to Can Mixed Berry Jam

I teamed up with Newell Brands, makers of Ball® Fresh Preserving Products to learn how to can! 

Canning is one of those things that I’ve always wanted to learn how to do, but it seemed so complicated. My one canning experience was with my mom’s elderly neighbor, and we canned 100 jars of salsa. You read that right, 100! It took us all day long and while the salsa was delicious, there was lots of boiling water, hot jars, and vats of tomatoes involved. It was a tedious and crazy messy process.

And then this magical machine showed up at my doorstep.

It’s called the Ball® freshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner + Multi-Cooker. It takes the guesswork out of canning. Not to mention cuts the actual canning time down to 10 minutes. So you can literally make a batch of jam in less than an hour!

Ball brand jars also sent me their new book: Ball® Canning Back to Basics. The book focuses on water bath canning and quick cook recipes. Basically, this book was made for the nervous nelly canner who doesn’t have tons of spare time. Perfect for me!

Jam is something the kids and I eat most mornings on toast so I knew jam was going to be my first solo canning experience. What really made me feel like I could handle canning was the live video that Ball brand Home Canning Products posted on their facebook page sharing this mixed berry jam recipe. In the video, Jessica Piper claims that canning is as easy as boiling water. I can boil water!

There is actually a lot of science behind canning, so it is really important to stick to a tested recipe.  I decided to try this mixed berry jam canning recipe for my first solo canning experience.

Ingredients for Mixed Berry Jam:

• 2 2/3 cups crushed berries, mix and match your favorites such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries
• 3 Tbsp Ball^® RealFruit™ Classic Pectin
• 3 1/3 cups sugar
• 4 Ball^® Half Pint (8 oz) Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars with lids and bands
•  Ball^® freshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner + Multicooker

How to Make Mixed Berry Jam:

1. PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil.  Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.

2. COMBINE berries in an 8-quart stainless steel saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.

3. ADD entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary.

4. LADLE hot jam into hot jars, one at a time, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars. Apply bands and adjust to fingertip tight.

5. PLACE filled jars in canner ensuring jars are covered by 1 to 2 inches of water. Place lid on canner. Bring water to gentle, steady boil.

6. PROCESS jars for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid and let jars stand for 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lids should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Other Helpful Canning Tools:

• Tongs
• Funnel
• Magnetic lid remover
• Bubble remover

My favorite thing about canning? Summer basically lives in a jar all year long.  Have you ever canned anything? I would love to hear…