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1
Set aside approximately 1/4 of the berries in the refrigerator. Combine the remaining berries and sugar in a large bowl, and set them aside to macerate overnight in the fridge.
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2
By the next morning the berries will have released their juice and some of the sugar will have dissolved. When you do this, you don't have to add any water. (By adding water, you just have to evaporate it again by boiling the jam for a longer time and this will have a negative effect on the flavors in your jam.)
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3
Put the macerated berries, lemon juice and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently until all the sugar has dissolved.
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4
Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring only to prevent sticking or burning.
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5
After the mixture has thickened a bit (about 10 minutes), add the remaining berries. This will give the jam more texture and whole berries in the jam.
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6
Boil the jam to your preferred consistency, and make sure to skim the stiff foam off the top while the jam cooks. Test the thickness by putting jam on a very cold spoon, and if the jam is not running or is running very slowly, the jam has the right thickness. It takes about 20 minutes of cooking time.
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7
Scald the jars and lids with boiling water. Be careful not to touch the inside. Use tongs to handle jars and lids. Fill jars while still hot and leave a bit of head space at the top of each jar then seal with scalded lids. See National Center for Home Food Preservation for additional information on safe food preservation. Enjoy!
