Any time fruits are on sale, especially berries, I make raw fruit tarts, freeze them for smoothies, or make homemade jam. When I made this homemade jam, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums and nectarines were on sale. So were tomatoes! Did you know tomato is a fruit? A lot of people consider it a vegetable, but it really is a fruit. If you do use tomatoes to make jam, make sure you remove the skin and seeds.

When I make jam, I usually give to friends and family. The ingredients are few and simple. Fruits simmered in orange juice, sweetened with honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar and flavored with cinnamon, cloves and vanilla extract taste differently to store bought jam. If you happen to have Angostura bitters on hand, that makes it even better. That’s it! You’ve made homemade jam! The great thing is you can control the sugar content. Have you ever read the ingredients in store-bought jam? Have you really looked at the sugar content? The next time you are in the supermarket and reach for the jam, examine the ingredients carefully. You’ll be scared away and driven to the fruit section to buy some fruits so you can make you own jam! I hope you do! 

This homemade jam does not require a recipe, but I did put something together for you to follow along. You really can eyeball the measurements since it’s based on the quantity of fruits you use. Sweeten gradually and taste until you find the right balance.

Update: This post was written when I lived in New York, but now that I’m in the South, I can pick my own blueberries on a farm. I can also pick strawberries, but they are heavily sprayed with insecticide, unlike the blueberries which are probably sprayed, but not as much as the blueberries. Buy organic strawberries and blueberries if you can. Costco has great deals on large bags of berries of all kinds.

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