My friend, Anne, was a little hesitant to share her secret with me, but I finally got it out of her.
If you love to make jam, but you hate paying the price for berries, you might want to TRY THIS:
1. Find a local berry patch and ask for their business card (phone #).
2. Ask them to save the jam berries for you. Take what you can get.
3. Learn to be patient – they may not always have jam berries.
Anne just bought 3/4 of a flat for $2.
You can’t beat that!
It’s well worth the wait, and if you don’t have a berry patch like we do (my kids are great strawberry pickers!), this is a great resource for all my jam-making friends!
What is your favorite place to get summer berries? Do you pick yourself, buy, or go to a Farmer’s Market?
Or what are your secrets to finding cheap berries?
If you can, take the time to vistit Kimba’s Gigantic Pin Sale going on right now!
Hi, I'm Sandy. Five years ago I stocked up on beautiful glasses from the Dollar Store. As I started writing about dinner parties, I realized that this “icon” portrays a great message. 
My hubby has picked several quarts of blackberries from wild brambles that grow around his job site–I've made freezer jam and pies–I think it tastes even better knowing that we're utlizing "found" berries!
[Reply]
I just love the sight of all those jam jars…it brings back such memories!
m ^..^
[Reply]
What are jam berries? (As opposed to regular eating berries.) Are they over-ripe? Under-ripe?
[Reply]
What a good idea. I think we are off to the farm and will ask for jam berries. We are going to pick peaches there in a week.
Cynthia
P.S. You have the best ideas.
[Reply]
Last year, I picked myself.. love that. But this year, we had a bad strawberry season (too much rain), and I'm laid up during the rasperry season. I'm crossing my fingers for the blackberry season, and I'll try out your tips! I'll call my local pick-your-own farm this week!!
I am going to assume that "jam" berries are the berries that the farm picks that are not "perfect" but rather a bit smooshed. Right?
[Reply]
We like to stop at the roadside fruitstands – if you can find them anymore. While the berries aren't all that inexpensive they are always good. Besides I like to support the few people who are still putting up the stands.
You jam looks great. We'll be making apricot jam this week, fruit from our backyard tree.
Darla
[Reply]
Curious to what jam berries are?
[Reply]