the raspberry jam experiment

June 19th, 2010

Scene: Costco, on a Sunday afternoon

We went for paper towels but there were raspberries, lots and lots of beautiful raspberries.

“Lets make some jam” he says “I think I’ll buy a case. Make that two”

2 cases  = $50 = a shit ton of raspberries but that is what you need to make jam.

On the way home we realize the canning jars are in storage so we go pick up new ones. $10

“$60 is a lot for some jam” I say. “How much jam do we get for $60?”

“We must consult the old family recipe, passed down from generation to generation.”

“On the back of the Certo box.”

Certo boxes in hand we head home and get to work.

“Its a hard job but someone has to do it”

The box says we will have 7 pints of jam. Kind of a crap deal for $60 if you ask me.

After measuring and mushing up the berries and putting them in a pot with water and sugar we realize we have a bit more than we bargained for.

Matthew siphons 1/4 the mixture into a smaller pot and adds the certo when it boils.

Once its complete he fills 5 of the 12 pint jars. “Hmm” I say, because I am very good at math, and also stating the obvious. “If 1/4 of the recipe is 5 pints we will need 20 pints.”

WE HAVE 12 PINT JARS. its 8pm on Sunday night and we are covered in raspberries.

After some minor freaking out that 3/4 of a pot of jam will be thrown right in the trash he realizes we haven’t yet put in the certo and the big pot is only raspberries and sugar so we take it off the stove and let it cool down.

The next day I buy every single jar at the overpriced fancy kitchen store and we heat up the raspberries again, add the certo and do the canning thing.

The verdict: $50 will be more than enough to cover your jam needs for the next few decades.

Entry Filed under: At the stove