1. Select a good balance of underripe and ripe fruit for the jelly. Use ¼ underripe fruit and ¾ ripe fruit to balance out the amount of natural pectin, as this recipe doesn’t use any liquid or powdered pectin.
2. Inspect and prepare six half-pint jars with their screw bands and lids. Wash them all in warm soapy water and rinse them thoroughly with warm water.
3. Put fresh water in a large pot, submerge the canning jars, and simmer the water to heat the jars. Keep the jars hot until filling time. Do not sterilize the jars in boiling water since the processing time is 10 minutes.
4. Get the water bath canner ready by loading the canning rack into the canner and adding warm, fresh water to fill the canner halfway. Heat the canner over medium-high heat to a simmer at 180°F.
5. As the canner is heating, prepare the berries. Rinse the berries in cool running water. Do not soak them. Cut the larger ones into smaller pieces.
6. Thoroughly mash the fruits using a potato masher in a saucepot with water. Boil the fruit-water mixture, cover it, and then simmer it for 10 minutes.
7. Use a dampened jelly bag or a two-layer cheesecloth to strain the hot fruit juice to remove seeds and uncooked skins or pulp.
8. Combine the hot fruit juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepot. You may add ½ teaspoon of butter to reduce foaming during cooking if desired.
9. Heat the mixture over high heat to a hard boil while stirring constantly to dissolve all the sugar and enhance the bond with the natural pectin in the berries and the lemon juice.
10. Check the jelly for doneness by taking the temperature of the jelly. At sea level, the jelly must reach 220°F. For every 1,000ft gained in elevation, the required temperature drops 2 degrees Fahrenheit until the safe minimum temperature of 212°F is achieved.
11. If you don’t have a thermometer, use the spoon test. Put a cool metal spoon into the jelly and then hold it sideways at 12 inches off the steam. The jelly is fully cooked if two drops form and flow together as a sheet or hang off the spoon’s edge.
12. Remove the jelly from the heat and immediately skim off any remaining foam.
13. Use a canning funnel and ladle to fill completely drained hot jars with the hot jelly. Leave ¼-inch headspace.
14. Remove air bubbles using a wooden spoon.
15. Wipe the jar rims with clean paper towels dampened with warm water. Center new canning lids and clean screw bands on the jars until fingertip tight.
16. With the water in the canner at 180°F, load each jar upright, free-standing, and untilted into the canner. Ensure the water covers the tops of the jars by 1-2 inches. Have hot water reserved in case you need to top up the canner.
17. Heat the canner over high heat to bring it to a rolling boil. Close the canner lid and process the filled jars with the processing time per elevation:

Processing Time Per Elevation

• 0 – 1,000ft: 10 minutes
• 1,001 – 6,000ft: 15 minutes
• Above 6,001ft: 20 minutes

Post Processing

1. Remove the canner from the hot burner and open the lid with the steam facing away from you. After 5 minutes, remove the jars one by one using canning tongs.
2. Set the jars upright with at least 2 inches of free-standing space on warm towels on a countertop.
3. Allow the jars to cool to room temperature for 12-24 hours. Do not retighten the lids.
4. Remove each screw band and inspect the jar seal. No seal should flex when you press it. Reprocess any unsealed ones with brand-new lids within 24 hours. The alternative is to refrigerate them and use them within one month or freeze the jelly in new airtight containers for up to 1 year.
5. Wash, dry, label, and keep the sealed jelly jars in a cool, clean, dry, dark place.