Instructions: Sort fresh berries, discarding any that are soft, moldy or otherwise suspect.

Rinse and drain well. Thaw frozen raspberries, if using, saving all their juice.

Stir the berries (including the juice from thawed berries), sugar and lemon juice together in a bowl, using a rubber spatula; let the mixture stand, stirring gently once or twice, until the sugar has dissolved, about 2 hours

(many times I let it sit all day or overnight in the refrigerator).

Wash 4 half-pint jars. Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs. Scrape the berry mixture into a large skillet or saute pan; add butter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a straight-ended wooden or nylon spatula, and boil rapidly for 6 minutes. Remove from heat. The butter helps reduce foam, but if some remains after youve removed the skillet from the burner and let the jam settle about 10 seconds, skim it off.

Ladle hot preserves into 1 hot jar at a time, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

Wipe jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars. Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes at 1,000 to 3,000 feet; 20 minutes at 3,000 to 6,000 feet; 25 minutes above 6,000 feet). -

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