black raspberry jelly

Pap picked us a BUNCH of black raspberries from the back fencerow. Woohoo! We were OUT of our Black Raspberry Jelly. Look at my 2 cute helpers. :)

Levi washing the berries and putting them up to be mashed.

And here's one of my mashers. 

BLACK RASPBERRY JELLY
Recipe from Sandy Holmes

To make the *juice:
5 c. crushed black raspberries
2 c. water
2 T. lemon juice

To make the jelly:
3 1/2 c. *juice
2 T. lemon juice
1 box pectin
5 c. sugar
1/2 t. butter

Directions:

1. Fill water-bath canner half-full with water. Bring to a simmer.
2. Wash lids, screw bands and jars in hot soapy water. 
1. *I usually run my jars through the dishwasher. When they're finished in there, I put them on a cookie sheet and put them in my oven on WARM. This helps keep them warm until I'm ready to use them.
3. Wash berries and crush to get 5 cups crushed black raspberries.
4. Place crushed berries, water and lemon juice in a 5-8 quart sauce pot. Bring to a boil. 
5. Place 2-3 layers of damp cheesecloth of jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit (from #4) into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drop into bowl until dripping stops (about 20+ minutes). Press gently.
6. Measure exactly 5 cups of sugar into a bowl. Set aside.
7. Measure 3 1/2 cups of your juice and place back in your big saucepot, along with the lemon juice, pectin, and butter. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
8. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full rolling boil and boil EXACTLY 1 MINUTE, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.
9. Remove jars from the oven. Ladle your jelly mixture quickly into your jars, filling to within 1/8" of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1-2"; add boiling water if necessary. Cover. Bring water to a gentle boil.
10. Process jars 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration in necessary.) Let stand @ room temp for 24 hours. Store unopened jellies in cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerated jellies should be used within 3 weeks.