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barbara-in-va

Well-known member
My favorite jam in the whole world is black raspberry. There is one small field near my house that I know of and I make sure to get there as soon as it opens, first thing that morning. I picked for over 3.5 hours and got enough for 2 batches of jam. As I always do, I put them thru the squeezo to get the seeds out and then I froze the puree, as I have done many times before, to make the jam a couple of days later. Well I made it and was so disappointed. I used the same recipe as always but the jam has a "lumpy" texture. Both batches. I made a batch of red raspberry, also from frozen puree, at the same time and it is perfect!!! What could have gone wrong? I don't know what I did differently and I can't tell you how disappointed I am!! Has this ever happened to you? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 
From "Pick Your Own"

Too stiff or lumpy jam

If gel formation is too strong, due to way too much pectin, the jam becomes stiff, lumpy or granular in texture.
Cooking too long, but not at a high temperature, can boil off water, without breaking the pectin down. This results in jam that is too stiff.
This also occurs if the temperature is too high, for too long, or the jam is not stirred frequently.
Using underripe fruit, which has more pectin than ripe fruit, with the same amount of pecton as the recipe requires for ripe fruit, also makes stiff jellies and jams. FYI, commercial pectin is intended for use with fully ripe (but not overripe) fruit.
Runny Jam

 
Melissa, I think that could be it. When I put them thru the de-seeder, the puree

was very thick and when I went to pour it into the freezer containers, it had almost jelled just by sitting there a few minutes. The berries all looked black to me but they must have had a lot of natural pectin in them.

Thank you!

 
Melissa's post seems correct to me too. Did you add any water to your puree? While it sounds like

you'd be diluting the flavor, you need that extra liquid (3/4 cup or so) to ensure a smooth jam. I've never experienced lumps, more the opposite, an end product that's a bit too thin but that's because I tend to add a little more fruit than is generally called for.

 
It's worth a try but I'm not sure that'll do the trick. Slowly melt the jelly FIRST, then gradually

add water, by the tablespoon. Stir with a whisk to break up the lumps. If it smooths out, be sure to bring it back to a boil before repackaging and processing. Let me know how it goes?

 
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