A Quick "Jam Session"

So, I've had this jar of chokecherry juice in my freezer since August.  I've been meaning to make it into jam/jelly.  I finally did it today.  Possibly my best chokecherry creation to date.

This is not a true, pure straight up chokecherry jam.  I also had a handful of frozen strawberries leftover from some Christmas Jam I made, at you guessed it, Christmas.

I thought they sounded like a good combo, so I thawed them out and put them in with the chokecherries.  But then I ran into my classic jam dilemma.  Just too much for a four jar batch and not quite enough for a six jar batch.  (I use the Ball brand pectin with the flex-batch recipe on it)  I can't just pour out that extra half cup of precious chokecherry/strawberry mix.  Nope that would be wrong.  Immoral.  Possibly illegal.  So I think for a minute.  I dig around in the freezer.  Then, I find it.  A bag of frozen raspberries.  I add another 3/4 of a cup or so, enough to that my measurement comes up to that magic 4-cup line on the measuring pitcher.  The results are just plain wonderful.  

Here's the "recipe" for my clean out the freezer jam.  I think I'll call it Cherry Berry Jam. That sounds good.

Cherry Berry Jam

makes 6 half pint jars full

2 1/2 cups chokecherry juice

1 1/2 cup total strawberries and raspberries, crushed.

1 cup water

9 teaspoons lemon juice

4 1/2 tablespoons low sugar pectin (I use Ball brand)

1 1/2 cups sugar

Mix everything except the sugar together in a big pot.  A Dutch oven sized pot will do nicely.  

Bring to a rolling boil.

Add sugar all at once.

Bring back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute.

Ladle into hot jars.  Adjust two-piece caps.

Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Enjoy :)