For my first contribution to the "CSR Bake a Difference" fundraiser, I wanted the colour of my sweet treats to instantly signify Christmas. So I was racking my brain for something red or green, and sweet.  While I was out shopping I happened to notice that Raspberries were $8.99 for a teeny tiny punnet! It is almost highway robbery!

I live in an area which produces vast quantities of Blueberries and Raspberrys and I am lucky to quite often have a whole ice-cream container of berries in the freezer.

That is when it hit me! I would make a Raspberry Jam.  I checked the freezer and discovered three ½ full ice-cream containers of berries, so more than enough to get started on some jam. I did feel a little guilty for turning these yummy berries into jam.  I really should have polished them off when they were fresh, but they would be put to good use now.

Ingredients:

500gm raspberry

300gm CSR sugar

Method:

Place 3 saucers in the freezer to cool.

Place the fruit in a heavy based saucepan and use a stick blender to roughly blend the fruit.

Add the sugar to the fruit and turn the heat on low.  Stir on low until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Increase the heat to a rolling boil. Continue to boil until the mixture appears thicker.

Cooking the jam can take some time.  Periodically check the syrup by placing a small amount of jam on the saucer and return it to the freezer.  Once the jam has cooled drag your finger through the cooled jam to test the consistency.

Retest every 5 minutes until the jam is the correct consistency.

Once a jam consistency is obtained, fill sterilized jam containers with the hot mixture and seal.

I found the jars in a two dollar shop for $1.50 each and I have decorated them with some leftover Christmas fabric and ribbon. I think these jams will make a great present for the “littlies” pre-school teachers.

Now, because I am contributing to “Bake a Difference” I will print out a gift tag from the CSR website and attach it to my gift.  The gift tag explains that this yummy gift was baked as part of a fundraising campaign for Mission Australia, and that a donation will be made as part of my gift.

Here is an example of the customizable gift tags.

The final step is to simply click donate on the CSR website and contribute to “Bake a Difference.” CSR sugar will match my donation, dollar for dollar up to $100,000.

Christmas is coming up fast so I am aiming to make one baked Christmas present per week. Remember, anyone can join in baking homemade gifts and donating the difference. Another big thank you to Jeroxie for helping co-ordinate the event.