Regarding JAM

Why is your jam so good?
• No real secret! I use great fruit and don’t do a whole lot to it. Nothing but freshly picked organic fruit from local farms, straight into the jar.
• I never saw the point of jam that’s mostly sweetener. So I use a natural pectin that doesn’t require sugar to set. I add just a touch of local honey.
• The only other thing that goes into the jam is freshly squeezed lemon juice and sometimes a few spices. That’s it.

Can I buy more of that really good jam?
• This season was my first try at preserving fruit. I was pleasantly surprised by both my own ambition for making jam and the public demand, so in 2008 I plan to up the production and make some available for sale! Stay tuned here at Rebecita Recipes.
• In the meantime, check out the amazing jam at CMB Sweets.
• Or make your own! No, really!

OK, how can I make my own really good jam?
• Jam making is really quite simple, if you have the time. Most people prefer to do it in large batches with family or friends.
• Track down some “Pomona’s Universal Pectin” at your local natural foods store, or order it online. In the box and on their site you'll find a table of basic recipes using their pectin. You can adapt any normal jam recipe to work with their pectin, and if you get confused they even have a jamline you can call!
• It's easy to familiarize yourself with time-honored canning techniques... just look for instruction booklets in boxes of pectin, buy a classic book like Bell’s Blue Book, or pick from the slew of websites.

Favorite Jam Resources
The National Society for Home Preservation
A quick introduction from a home cook and blogger, step-by-step with photos.
Pick Your Own is a fabulously extensive but down-to-earth website with advice on every aspect of canning. Best of all, each recipe is presented as a photo tutorial.
Rodale’s “Stocking Up” is older but still THE comprehensive guide to preserving naturally.