Raspberry Lime Goodness

For those who know my creative style you won't be surprised to learn that I cook in a similar manner. Meaning, that I toss things together that I think will be good. Sometimes they are amazing and brilliant, sometimes they are so undesirable it's just gross. So that's my starter... I'll connect it in later.

Seattle is chock full of moldy fruit stands. You know stands that have tons and tons of fruits and veggies that are ragingly cheap. You learn pretty quickly that most of this cheap fruit must be consumed within 24 hours or you wasted your money. So yesterday Sean brought home some cheap raspberries and cheap strawberries. I knew they were growing mold by the minute- so today between breakfast with J and M&H's wedding I made jam. (M&H are receiving 1 jar of everything I can this year for a wedding present so it was fitting.) The recipes from the food in jars blog that I follow was good but we didn't have enough lemon.

So here's where my ingenuity, and this time brilliance paid off! The only citrus we had for the raspberry was lime. I know that lime and raspberry go well together: think lime rickey (thank you Star Island). So rather than putting lemon in I put in lime juice and lime rind. Yum! Yum! Yum! The warm stuff off my finger tasted amazing. I can't wait to spread it on some toast.

The only change I would make would be to add the lime just 1 minute before putting into the jars. That way the lime taste stays fresh. I think I lost some in the cooking process. Anyway, below is the revised recipe for those of you who want to have at it on your own!

Raspberry Lime Jam

4 Cups raspberries, gently washed (moldy ones removed)

2 Cups white sugar

1 lime, juiced

1 Lime zested

1/2 Packet of pectin

Bring a pot to a boil. Clean and prep jars. put the lids to a simmer so the sealing stuff gets soft and it seals well.

Pour the berries into a large, pot. Add sugar and stir to combine. Bring up to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once sugar is dissolved, bring the heat to high and let the fruit and sugar boil, stirring frequently.

So after about 10-15 minutes, when the berries have broken down and the bubbles make a good "bloooop" or "bluuuup" sound, add the pectin. Bring to a rapid boil and allow it to boil for about four minutes or so. Then add the lime juice and lime zest let it cook another minute.

Fill jars, wipe rims and apply lids and rings. Put the jars with lids and rims in boiling water, with a towel at the bottom so that they don't touch the bottom of the pot directly. When they are are all under the water and it's been boiling for 10 minutes. (You can stack em if you need to) take em out then.

Make sure they are all popped- you know so the lid is inverted- if not eat soon or refrigerate!

When time is up, remove the jars from the pot and let them cool. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year

Makes approximately 1.5 pints (a little less) of jam.