Saskatoon Berry Jam Recipe with Pectin
This summer has been very wet and cool, resulting in an abundant crop of fresh berries of every sort. We walk through a small park near our house and inevitably return to pick saskatoon berries. We have an amazing 8 gallons of fresh berries, and we could have picked twice that much. It’s been amazing.
We have been busy cooking and freezing them, and I decided to share my recipe for Saskatoon Jam using pectin.
Using Pectin is a Matter of Choice
Pectin exists naturally in many fruits, more in some than others. Pectin is what gives us that thick gel-like texture of homemade jam. I used Certo pectin crystals for this recipe to ensure the berries set properly.
You can make saskatoon jam without pectin, but the berries need to be cooked longer so they reduce and thicken enough, and you can end up with a more caramelized, less fresh-tasting jam. Either way is delicious; it’s a matter of personal taste.
Adding Lemon
Lemon contains a bit more pectin than saskatoon berries do, so it helps thicken the jam a bit. But I add lemon juice for the flavor. It adds a subtle brightness to the jam and dulls down the sweetness a tiny bit.
Sterilizing the Jars
Whenever canning you must sterilize the jars first. Begin by washing and rinsing your jars, rings and lids even if they are brand new. Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch. If you have room you can place your rings and lids into the same pot. If not seperate them out into another pot and do the same thing.
Bring the water to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes. Once boiled turn the stove down but make sure the water keeps simmering. Once the jars have boiled you can start making the jam. 6 to 8 cups. so I sterilized 9 jam size (8 oz) jars
Saskatoon Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups washed and cleaned saskatoons
- 1 pkg Certo crystals
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 7 cups of white granulated sugar
Equipment
- 8 jam-sized jars with lids and rings
- Canning funnel
- Jar lifter and tongs
- Cutting board or kitchen towels
- Water bath canner or large pot
Instructions
After picking, clean your berries, remove any small leaves, dried berries, etc. Rinse well in cold water and let drain.
Add 5 cups of the fresh saskatoons to a large heavy-bottomed pot and mash until about half of the saskatoons are squashed. Squashing gives the mixture a bit of juice to start cooking with, then add Certo and lemon juice. Turn the heat onto medium-high and allow them to come to a boil, stirring often.
Once your jam mixture has come to a boil, allow it to continue boiling for ONE minute. Then remove from the heat.
Allow the jam to cool for 2 minutes to allow any impurities to float to the top of your jam. In the meantime, gather everything you need to can, a wooden board to protect the counter (or kitchen towels), a canning funnel, a ladle, a damp, clean cloth, and second cloth or oven mitt to hold the jars, and a jar lifter and tongs.
After you have everything organized, use a tablespoon to scoop off the impurities (pink foamy part) floating on the top of the jam. Removing the impurities improves the clarity, texture, and shelf life of your jam. I take off as much of it as I can without taking too much time. If there is some left its not going to ruin your jam.
Retrieve your first sterilized jar from the simmering water.
Quickly transfer the hot jam to the jars, use and ladle and a canning funnel. Place the funnel over the mouth of the sterilized jar and slowly pour the hot jam in.
Leave about a quarter of an inch of space at the top of the jar to allow the lid to seal.
Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean, damp cloth to make sure there is nothing on the rim to prevent sealing.
Then place a hot lid on top. Finish by screwing on the metal ring until it’s just finger-tight. The jar will be hot, so be sure to hold it steady with a cloth or oven mitt to protect your hands.
Casual Video Tutorial of Making Saskatoon Jam
The latest on Youtube:
Hot Pack Canning Versus Hot Water Bath Canning
We just finished hot-pack canning our jam. We used hot sterile jars, transferred hot boiling jam into the hot jars, and then placed a hot lid on top. If you leave them on the counter, they will seal when they cool. Any that don’t seal place in the fridge and use first. For generations, that is how we canned jam. Now it is recommended that we take the extra step of water bath canning our jam. It’s not a lot of extra work, just one more step.
Waterbath Canning
As soon as your jam is placed in the jars, get your canner ready. Place a canning rack in a large pot and fill it with enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch. Bring the water to a boil, carefully lower the filled jars into the pot using the jar lifter.
Once all jars are in, return the water to a full boil and process for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat, let the jars sit for 5 more minutes.
Lift the jars out of the hot water, and set them on a towel to cool undisturbed. Within a few hours, you will hear the pop of the lids sealing.
How to Check if the Jam is Sealed?
Wait between 12 and 24 hours to check if your jam is sealed. There are a few ways to tell if the jar lid is concave, with the center pulled down, it’s sealed. You can also test by pushing in the center of the lid; if it pops up and down, it hasn’t sealed.
As I said earlier, if a jar doesn’t seal, just place it in the fridge and use it right away.
Storing Homemade Jam
Unopened jars that are properly sealed and stored in a cool place away from direct light can keep for 12 to 18 months.
Once opened, keep the jam in the fridge and it will keep for 3 to 4 weeks.
If you found this Saskatoon jam recipe helpful, don’t forget to save it for later! Pin it to your canning or homemade recipes board so you’ll have it handy next time you’re working with these delicious berries.
Saskatoon Jam with Pectin
Equipment
- 8 jam-sized jars with lids and rings
- Canning funnel
- Jar lifter and tongs
- Cutting board or kitchen towels
- Water bath canner or large pot
Ingredients
- 5 cups washed and cleaned saskatoons
- 1 pkg Certo crystals
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 7 cups of white granulated sugar
Instructions
- After picking, clean your berries, remove any small leaves, dried berries, etc. Rinse well in cold water and let drain.
- Add 5 cups of the fresh saskatoons to a large heavy-bottomed pot and mash until about half of the saskatoons are squashed. Squashing gives the mixture a bit of juice to start cooking with, then add Certo and lemon juice. Turn the heat onto medium-high and allow them to come to a boil, stirring often.
- Once your jam mixture has come to a boil, allow it to continue boiling for ONE minute. Then remove from the heat.
- Allow the jam to cool for 2 minutes to allow any impurities to float to the top of your jam. In the meantime, gather everything you need to can, a wooden board to protect the counter (or kitchen towels), a canning funnel, a ladle, a damp, clean cloth, and second cloth or oven mitt to hold the jars, and a jar lifter and tongs.
- After you have everything organized, use a tablespoon to scoop off the impurities (pink foamy part) floating on the top of the jam. Removing the impurities improves the clarity, texture, and shelf life of your jam. I take off as much of it as I can without taking too much time. If there is some left its not going to ruin your jam.
- Retrieve your first sterilized jar from the simmering water.
- Quickly transfer the hot jam to the jars, use and ladle and a canning funnel. Place the funnel over the mouth of the sterilized jar and slowly pour the hot jam in.
- Leave about a quarter of an inch of space at the top of the jar to allow the lid to seal.
- Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean damp cloth to make sure there is nothing on the rim to prevent sealing.
- Then place a hot lid on top. Finish by screwing the lid on finger tight. Do not over tighten it.