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When you go to the farmers market, are you drawn straight toward the colorful berries on display? Maybe you bought a few too many baskets, or foraged a bit too much on that last hike in the mountains. Whatever the case, my Seedless Raspberry Jam recipe is a simple way to prevent that berry purchase from going to waste, and you’ll be able to enjoy fresh summer berry season all year long! Plus, by straining the seeds out while the jam is warm, you won’t have to floss your teeth immediately afterward.
Seedless Raspberry Jam? Is that a Jelly? What’s the difference?
Short answer: no, this isn’t a jelly.
Long answer: the terms jam, jelly, preserves, and conserves all have different meanings, even if we use them interchangeably on a colloquial basis. Because this spread is made from whole fruit, it remains a jam, even if the seeds are strained out afterward.
Jam
Jams are made from mashed or chopped fruit with added sugar that’s boiled until a specific set point. They may or may not have added pectin, depending on the natural content of the fruit itself. Another important point: jam may or may not have seeds.
Jelly
Jellies are made from gelled, strained fruit juice. There are no fruit pieces, seeds, nuts, or other additions in a true jelly.
Preserves
Preserves are whole or large pieces of fruit suspended in a light syrup or jelly. This style of preservation is most commonly used on peaches, cherries, and other stone fruits. For berries like raspberries and blackberries, preserves and jams are basically the same thing as the whole fruit breaks down entirely during the boiling stage. As a result, you’ll rarely, if ever, see raspberry preserves as it’ll just be sold as jam.
Conserves
Conserves are the same thing as preserves, but with nuts and other additions. They usually, but not always, contain more than one type of fruit. Conserves are similar to chutneys, but without the vinegar or tang, and are a great addition to charcuterie boards.
Spread
When in doubt, you can always call your concoction a spread. I’m including this term here as you might see some products sold at the farmers market as “spreads,” when they could also be described as something else. This is usually due to the legal definitions of these terms, like jam and jelly, causing farmers to relabel their products just to meet FDA requirements.
Farmers Market Ingredients and Substitutions
Raspberries
Raspberries are amongst the more tart berries in the rose family, which includes blackberries, boysenberries, marionberries, loganberries, and many, many more.
I’m definitely spoiled; I have a wild raspberry patch right in my backyard in Alaska. While the raspberry crop this year hasn’t been as prolific this year as last (maybe due to the insane amount of rain we have been getting this summer), we are still getting more berries than we can eat up in an evening.
Any color raspberry will work in this jam. In fact, just about any berry can be turned into jam using this recipe; this is a great way to use up any straggling fruit leftovers. Mixed wild berry jam? Yum!
Lemon
The lemon has two very important functions in making jam. First, the acidity is needed to balance out the added sugar. Second, the lemon pith provides added pectin, which is the compound responsible for thickening the jam. Pectin is commonly found in unripe fruit, but who wants unripe raspberry jam? No one. So boiling the pith with the raspberries and sugar adds enough pectin for the jam to thicken up nicely. Plus, it’s a great way to use the whole lemon and not let any of it go to waste.
Other citrus fruits can be used in place of the lemon, but since it’s not citrus season, they might be harder to find.
Tips and Tricks
In general, I’m not much of a gadget cooker. I pushed back on my husband buying an Instant Pot, ’cause I figured I’d never use it (I was wrong!). But there are a few tools that I highly recommend to assist in your jam-making adventures.
Canning Funnel: This makes filling your mason jars so much easier! These funnels have wider openings, which won’t back up and force you to wait while your jam funnels down into the jars. You could get away without one, but why make life harder? And messier?
Conical Wire Mesh Strainer: This mesh strainer fits nicely inside the canning funnel, and has fine enough teeth to catch all the raspberry seeds. You could use a cheesecloth instead, but the wire mesh strainer is honestly easier to use and can be washed and reused again. They can also be used to sift flour or as a backup sieve, so they’re definitely multifunctional.
Serving Suggestions
I don’t think you’ll need help finding ways to use this seedless raspberry jam, but if you’re looking for some specific suggestions, I’m happy to help out!
Farmers Market Celebration Bread: This quick bread is just slightly sweet already, adding a swipe of the raspberry jam will make this bread a wonderful dessert.
Sesame Zucchini Bread: The tanginess from the raspberry jam pairs nicely with this rich zucchini bread. The tahini in this recipe certainly makes the bread filling, but adding the jam balances things out nicely.
Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing: Turn a little bit of your jam into a sweet and tangy salad dressing with this recipe from A Pinch of Healthy. This is a great way to use up all the leftovers in your jam jar!
How long will it last?
My Seedless Raspberry Jam should last in the refrigerator for up to three months. I doubt you’ll need that long to get through one batch.
Don’t want to store this raspberry jam in your refrigerator? If you follow proper water bath canning procedures, this jam will be shelf stable. I’m not an expert on canning, so I’ll direct you over to this guide written up by Ball Mason Jars. If your jars are properly sterilized and sealed after canning, this Seedless Raspberry Jam should last for up to 18 months in your pantry.
Simple Seedless Raspberry Jam
When you go to the farmers market, are you drawn straight toward the colorful berries on display? Maybe you bought a few too many baskets, or foraged a bit too much on that last hike in the mountains. Whatever the case, my Seedless Raspberry Jam recipe is a simple way to prevent that berry purchase from going to waste, and you'll be able to enjoy fresh summer berry season all year long!
Ingredients
- 800 grams raspberries (approximately 2 pints)
- 400 grams granulated sugar (approximately 2 cups)
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the raspberries and sugar. Heat on medium high until the raspberries and sugar have melted together.
- In the meantime, remove the zest from the lemon (save for another purpose). Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the berries. Add the pith to the mixture as well.
- Continue to heat the jam until it comes to a rolling boil. The mixture will begin to thicken once it hits 220°F.
- After the jam has reached temperature, remove the pith and strain the to remove the seeds.
- Funnel into jars and store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 62Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 0g
Calculated nutrition values are not always accurate, but can provide a general idea for planning purposes. Please do not rely on this information as it may not be complete. Recipes that include unusual ingredients, especially scrap ingredients, will have the least accurate information with this calculator.
