I spent most of Saturday morning out in the sweltering sun, hoping my migraine from the day before wouldn’t come roaring back. I just had to get some golden raspberries before they were all gone.
Despite the sweat dripping down my back and a slightly throbbing head, I put in my headphones, tuned out to a podcast, and picked raspberry after raspberry. The bushes with the best golden and yellow berries weren’t tied up or otherwise supported, so I found myself climbing between thorny vines, stopping occasionally for a sip of water. But believe me, these raspberries were more than worth some heat and scratched-up legs.
If you’ve never had golden (though they are really more of a pale orange-pink) or yellow raspberries, you need to remedy that as soon as possible. They are much sweeter and less tart than red raspberries, and I would happily eat them by the handful day in and day out if they weren’t so darn fragile and time-consuming to pick.
As it was, Dan and I planned to eat all three pounds straight out of the container and only can the two pounds of red raspberries. Until we realized on Sunday evening that they were already starting to go bad. See? Fragile. So preserves it was. But now we get to enjoy their sweetness all winter long, so there’s that.
Golden Raspberry Preserves
Slightly adapted from Canning for a New Generation
Makes 5 half-pints
3 pounds golden or yellow raspberries
2 cup granulated sugar
1 package of pectin
4 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
Prepare for canning. Wash the jars and flat lids with hot, soapy water. Put the jars in the canning pot and fill the pot with hot water. Heat over medium-high heat to keep the jars hot. Place the lids in a heat-proof bowl.
Mix the raspberries and sugar in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pectin and lemon juice. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the preserves are 219F.
Move some of the boiling water from the canning pot into the heat-proof bowl containing the lids. Line the hot jars up on a folded towel, then pour the water out of the heat-proof bowl and off the lids.
Fill the jars up to ¼” below the rim. Use a clean towel to wipe any preserves off the rims, then top each jar with a lid and a tightened ring. Place the jars back in the canning pot and make sure they are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil and process for 5 minutes. Place the jars on a folded towel and allow to sit, undisturbed, for 24 hours. Check the seals of the lids after 1 hour. If a seal has not formed, refrigerate the jar immediately.
Raspberry Orange Preserves
Slightly adapted from Canning for a New Generation
Makes 4-5 half-pints
3 pounds red raspberries
2 cup granulated sugar
1 package of pectin
4 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
8 teaspoons triple sec (optional)
Prepare for canning. Wash the jars and flat lids with hot, soapy water. Put the jars in the canning pot and fill the pot with hot water. Heat over medium-high heat to keep the jars hot. Place the lids in a heat-proof bowl.
Mix the raspberries and sugar in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pectin and lemon juice. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the preserves are 219F.
Move some of the boiling water from the canning pot into the heat-proof bowl containing the lids. Line the hot jars up on a folded towel, then pour the water out of the heat-proof bowl and off the lids.
Pour 1 1/2 teaspoons of triple sec into each jar.
Fill the jars up to ¼” below the rim. Use a clean towel to wipe any preserves off the rims, then top each jar with a lid and a tightened ring. Place the jars back in the canning pot and make sure they are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil and process for 5 minutes. Place the jars on a folded towel and allow to sit, undisturbed, for 24 hours. Check the seals of the lids after 1 hour. If a seal has not formed, refrigerate the jar immediately.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
The citrusy additions sound delicious
Everything about this recipe rocks! I lovelove golden raspberries, mucho better than the normal reds
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes recently posted..Not my WIAW
These sound absolutely amazing. I’m already thinking of all the things I could top with them!
I put them on graham crackers yesterday. Highly recommended!
I’ve only ever had ordinary raspberries, would love to try these!
The things we do for tasty goodness. Including getting our legs all torn up
Kelley @ Get Between the Bookends recently posted..Getting into Character
I have had golden raspberries once, and ate them all in one sitting. I think raspberry preserves are my favorite kind – i love how seedy it is!