Raspberries, Raspberries, and More.... you guessed it!

 I love going out into the garden in the morning and snacking on berries while I water.  Today I decided to pick a few more raspberries out of the garden to save myself from disaster come Monday.  5 cups of berries!  not expecting that, over 1 1/2 pounds of berries!





 So with what I had frozen from last week, and a few blackberries I decided to make another small batch of raspberry preserves.  

I followed the Ball Blue Book of Canning and started with the following ingredients:
2 lb rasbperrie's
4 cups sugar ( started with only two cups here...)

Combine berries and sugar, let sand until juices start to flow, 10 minutes. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Once dissolved I taste it to see if I need more sugar or not.  I add it in 1/2 cup at a time until desired sweetness.

As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Boil rapidly to almost gelling point. Remove from heat, and skim foam off if necessary. ladle hot preserves into jars leaving 1/4" headspace. Adjust two piece caps. Process 15 minutes in boiling-water canner.

So, with the sweetness of my berries, and the less sugar, I had to cook a little longer depending on the natural sugars of the berries to come out and help form the gelling phase.  Not too much longer but boy is it worth it! A great spread with a wonderful flavor and bright color!

 Now, if I only had a few more crackers because all I have is raspberries, raspberries and more.... you guessed it!  Raspberries!!