Marmellata ai frutti di bosco, easy mixed berry jam

Marmellata ai frutti di bosco, easy mixed berry jam. The flavors of Summer in a jar. Easy, without pectin, this jam comes together in less than half hour and you only need berries, sugar, and lemon juice. I've used strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries that gave the jam a wonderful crimson color and a delightful berry flavor.

Song of the day: Carina - 2004 Remaster by Nicola Arigliano

Marmellata ai frutti di bosco

Marmellata, or confettura, is the Italian term for jam, while Frutti di bosco, means literally fruits of the woods. Normally it is a mix of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, and it is one of my favorite jam flavors. Not too sweet, not too tart, just right!

Other flavors I love are raspberry jam, sour cherry jam, Saskatoon berry jam. In other words, all jams with a red/purplish color.

Mixed berries

For this mixed berry jam: the raspberries are picked fresh from our backyard, the blueberries come from the neighbouring British Columbia and from one of our go-to vendors at our local farmer's market, Fresh BC Fruit. The strawberries are local and organic from another vendor at the farmer's market, Sparrow's Nest Organics.

These berries are sweet crimson jewels at their peak in the season and I don't want to add too much to them to preserve their wonderful flavor.

A simple preparation

This easy method is what I always follow to make any kind of fruit jam and it is one I learned from my dad, the fantastic jam maker in my family.
You simply boil the mixture of fruit, sugar, and lemon juice until it thickens. There's no need for added pectin or preservatives since it relies completely on the sugar, the natural pectin in the berries, and the lemon for gelling. Every fruit contains natural pectin, with slightly under-ripe fruit having a higher pectin content. The use of the lemon juice, other than helping with the gelling, also brightens the flavor.

• Put the berries in a large enamel-lined saucepan with a thick bottom (I use a Dutch oven). Add the sugar, the lemon juice, and stir. Turn on the heat to low-medium, let the sugar dissolve stirring from time to time. 
• Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often.

• Keep the mixture at a steady boil, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, and skimming off any foam that forms on the surface. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until thickened; you'll see the bubbling also slows down. You could also check it with a candy thermometer. Usually, a jam is ready when it reaches 215°-220° F.
• Turn off the heat. If you want, you can mash the berries slightly with a potato masher.

Ready to jar the jam

The jam is ready and the jars are sterilized in a 230° F oven. Ladle or funnel the jam in the hot jars leaving ¼ inch space on top. Wipe the rim with a clean paper towel, and seal tight with the lids. This will ensure that the jam will stay preserved without the need to boil the jars afterwards. If you're lucky, you might hear the lid pop, a sign they're sealed.

How many jars?

With this recipe I made 1 x 8oz jar and 1 x 4oz jar. You can double the recipe without hesitation if you have more berries.

Ways to use this Marmellata ai frutti di bosco, easy mixed berry jam

This Marmellata ai frutti di bosco, easy mixed berry jam is perfect in the morning spread on toast or fette biscottate (rusks). Spoon it over yogurt, oatmeal, and porridge. We also love it on scones and homemade biscuits, as you can see from the picture. Furthermore you can top ice cream with it, pancakes, and waffles, and last but not least, jam is the filling of our ever popular crostata!

Hope you try your hand on making jam. I assure you, once you start, you cannot stop making homemade jams.

Enjoy!

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