This homemade Mixed Berry Jam recipe is simple to make with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Homemade jam is easy to make with pectin.
If you are looking for a great recipe to try, you’ll love my Triple Berry Jam. It’s a combination of strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. A very tasty combination.
I love to stock up on berries when they are in season and plop them in the freezer. There is absolutely nothing wrong with freezing berries. If you freeze them at the peak of perfection, they maintain impeccable taste when you need them later. Try my Raspberry Rhubarb Jam recipe.
How do you make homemade jam?
My mom and dad taught us so much. I remember asking my mom one day, how hard is it to make your own jam?? She said simple. You start with fresh ingredients, a little sugar, citrus pectin and cook it on the stove top. Then can it up. Simple. I will say that homemade jam takes patience and time. You need to focus completely on the pot of jam or you will burn it. Do it on a day you can completely focus on a great pot of homemade jam.
Order a Ball Enamel Water Canner. This will be your favorite tool for making homemade jams, pickles, and more. The kit comes with everything you’ll need to get going!
What is the difference between jam, preserves, and jelly?
I’ve been asked many times, what is the difference between jam, preserves, and jelly! Jam is made up of slightly more sugar than fruit, preserves are more fruit than sugar and jelly is made out of fruit juice. All of these will typically have some sort of citrus pectin to make them gel.
How do you make Mixed Berry Jam with Pectin?
Cook the strawberries, blueberries and blackberries over low to medium heat until soft. Lightly mash the fruit with a potato masher. Meanwhile, prepare a boiling water canner. Heat the jars and lids in simmering water until ready to use. (note: I use a commercial pectin, called Pomona’s Pectin in all of my jams- you can buy it on Amazon.)
In a large measuring cup, combine 2 cups sugar with the pectin. Add the lemon juice and sugar-pectin mixture to the berries. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Boil for 1 minute. Add the remaining 5 cups of sugar immediately, and bring back to a hard boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Turn the heat on low to medium. Skim foam if necessary.
How do I eliminate the foam on top of the jam?
I also use a vegetable defoamer to eliminate foam. This is something used in the production of maple syrup and is also available online. After the jam comes to a rolling boil, sprinkle in the defoamer and stir. It will knock down the foam.
How do you can homemade jam?
Ladle hot jam into the hot jars, leaving ½ inch head-space. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel. Center the lid on the jar. Apply the band until the fit is fingertip tight. Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars and allow to cool completely. I use a pair of rubber-tipped tongs to easily handle hot jars. Check the lids for seal after 24 hours. The lid should not flex up and down when the center is pressed. Store jars in a cool, dry place.
More Jam Recipes
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Mixed Berry Jam
Ingredients
Mixed Berry Jam
- 3 cups strawberries
- 2 ½ cups blueberries
- 2 ½ cups blackberries
- 7 cups granulated sugar divided
- 1 (1.75-ounce) package fruit pectin
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Mixed Berry Jam
- In a 8-quart saucepan, cook the strawberries, blueberries and blackberries over low to medium heat until soft. Lightly mash the fruit with a potato masher. Meanwhile, prepare a boiling water canner. Heat the jars and lids in simmering water until ready to use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
- In a large measuring cup, combine 2 cups sugar with the pectin. Add the lemon juice and sugar-pectin mixture to the berries. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Boil for 1 minute. Add the remaining 5 cups of sugar immediately, and bring back to a hard boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Turn the heat on low to medium. Skim foam if necessary.
- Ladle hot jam into the hot jars, leaving ½ inch head-space. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel. Center the lid on the jar. Apply the band until the fit is fingertip tight. Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars and allow to cool completely. Check the lids for seal after 24 hours. The lid should not flex up and down when the center is pressed. Store jars in a cool, dry place.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Nikki says
Can I use the same ingredients for a few bags of frozen mixture of dark sweet cherries * red tart cherries* blueberries * strawberries? I picked these up at the grocery store hoping to make some jelly with this mixture. They are 1LB bags.
Jessica Robinson says
Hey Nikki,
I’ve never used cherries for mixed berry jam. But you can certainly try that flavor combination and see how it does.
Nancy Kaye Foss says
is this a thick or loose jam.
Jessica Robinson says
Nancy,
Jam is the thickness you prefer. We like ours to be thick, but still gently shake off the jar when fully cooled. We don’t want it so thick that it becomes paste. Let me know if we can help you achieve the desired thickness.
Jbird says
Hi, can I use the ingredients here but make a freezer jam rather than cooked?
Thank you!
Jessica Robinson says
I’m not really sure, as we don’t make freezer jam.
Lynnea says
What is the shelf life when canned?
Jessica Robinson says
Recommended shelf life by the USDA & Ball Canning is approximately 18-months
shelia says
Can you substitute blueberries for the blackberries?
Jessica Robinson says
Yes!!! Absolutely. I usually just use whatever is in our freezer. Doesn’t have to be equal parts, you can go heavy on one berry or another.
Cathy says
do you measure when frozen or when the fruits are whole in a cup? how can you quantify 3 c of strawberries? are they whole, sliced or crushed? I followed your recipe and crushed the fruit to measure to your quantity but it didn’t set at all and it was overly sweet and I only out 6 cups instead of 7. so I used 8 cups of crushed fruit. was that too much fruit? if I wanted to add Grand Marnier to the jam how would I add it? I hope to gear from you as I would like a redo. thanks
Jessica Robinson says
Hey Cathy,
Berries are hard to measure because they are round and hard to really measure. Honestly, we generally eyeball it.
We always use frozen berries, cook them in a touch of water (so they don’t burn) and put the lid on to get them to soften. Then use a potato masher to mash them.
If your jam didn’t set, it’s very possible you just didn’t cook it long enough. Give it a few more minutes at a rapid boil, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. There’s a few videos on Facebook where I talk about signs to tell if your jam is set. Things like putting a few tablespoons into your freezer and dipping them into the hot jam to test, or if jam “sheets” off a room temperature spoon. Or if you dip a spoon into the hot jam and run your finger on the back of the spoon, if the jam stays and doesn’t run together, it’s likely set enough.
You can dump jars out and try and cook the jam more. Or start over. If jam is too sweet for your liking (again adjust based on how sweet or tart your berries are) then you can back off a little on the sugar. Let us know if we can help you further.
Michele says
I love this recipe but I Don’t have a canner, can I just put the hot jam into the hot jars and let sit till cool? I do this with my other jams.
Jessica Robinson says
Hey Michele!
You can use a large stockpot or something big enough to submerge the jars and hot bath them. It is NOT recommended by the USDA to just can hot jam and let them cool. This could potentially have jars not seal properly and not be hot enough to kill harmful bacteria.
Michele says
Thanks Jessica!!
Never used a canner and I do sterilize! My jams have lasted up to 3 years
Jessica Robinson says
Hey Michele!!
While you are welcome to do whatever you feel is best in your own kitchen, we simply cannot recommend not water bathing jams or canned goods. It’s so very important for us to stress the need for safe and proper canning practices recommended by the USDA. Thanks for stopping by.
Tina says
Thank you for a delicious recipe! Jam making makes me nervous, but this turned out perfect! I added lime juice like another reviewer said. I was able to make 8 jars total. Thanks!!!
Jessica Robinson says
Thank you so much for letting me know!! Lime is a great addition too.
Lisaview says
Good morning,
I decided to use your receipe for mixed frozen berries. Thought I would let you know that since we have several organge trees I used about one cup of cut up orange and added at the end of my berries being heated and mashes. The result was amazing…
Funny that there is no recipe anywhere (that I can see) for this idea of mine.
Just thought I would share it,
Lisa, now in Spain
Jessica Robinson says
Lisa,
Thank you so very much for letting me know!! Hope you are enjoying Spain. Oranges sound like a wonderful addition.
Annette says
Very easy to make. I didn’t have lemon but limes and it was a fun twist.
Jessica Robinson says
Annette,
Lime works too!! I bet that was delicious and gave it a pop of flavor.
Angela says
This recipe is perfect for mixed berries or one kind of berry. I just make sure I have a total of 8 cups. Thanks for sharing.
Marty says
I’m wanting to get a mixed bag of frozen berries to make this, heat up, & run thru food mill to remove seeds & any hulls. Would you contemplate using the 7c of “pulp” would work to get mix to set? I don’t experiment much with recipes. Thanks for your time
Jessica Robinson says
Hello Marty,
You might want to add a cup or two extra berries if you are just using the pulp.
April says
are the cup measurement before or after mashing the berries?
Jessica Robinson says
Before mashing berries. It’s really hard to accurately measure round berries. Just do your best and you can use a large glass measuring cup.
April says
Your recipe is so easy and clear to follow. My jam turned out perfect.
I used red currants from my garden and frozen cranberries, blueberries, raspberries and haskap berries. Everyone loves it!
Jessica Robinson says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Tammy says
I have not been able to find frozen cranberries. I even looked on Amazon. Where did you get yours?
Jessica Robinson says
This jam recipe uses other berries. Though a reader noted she used cranberries. From my experience you can only find cranberries during the holidays (fall and Christmas) in the produce section, fresh. We buy them in bulk at places like BJ’s wholesale and freeze them.
Brian says
I may have missed it in the article. What size of 12 jars do I need?
I usually make my jams in 500ml jars which are slightly over 1 pint.
Jessica Robinson says
I usually put jam in either pints or 1/2 pints. But you can really use whatever size jars you prefer.