Try My Favorite Strawberry Jam

This is my Favorite Strawberry Jam.  It says so on the recipe… and I tend to agree.

There are a few reasons why I really like the process for making this particular strawberry jam.  First of all, it doesn’t use pectin.  Strawberries are low in pectin so to make jam without pectin you typically have to stand over the stove for an extended period of time while the mixture thickens.

Not so with this jam. Which brings me to the second reason I like this recipe.  This method uses standing periods alternating with much shorter cooking times. It gets hot here in the summer so, I was not looking forward to standing over a hot stove.  I didn’t have to with this jam.

Another reason to love this method for making strawberry jam is that it makes a jam that retains its lovely red color and fresh flavor.  Can’t beat that!

The photo above shows some jars of jam resting in one of my container strawberry plants.  My strawberry plants have produced some delicious strawberries but not enough to make jam.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went strawberry picking at Washington Farms.

It was really hot that day, but it was fun picking my own strawberries.  I picked 2 buckets full so my family would have plenty to eat, and I would have plenty for making jam.

The strawberries were really ripe so I froze about 12 cups until I was ready to make jam.  I froze them on a baking sheet first.  Then carefully placed the frozen berries in a quart-size freezer bag. I ended up with 6 quart-size bags of strawberries. When I was ready to make the jam, I just took a couple of bags out of the freezer and let them thaw a little bit but not enough for them to get soggy.

 

Favorite Strawberry Jam

Makes:

2 1/2 cups

To make this strawberry jam, I turned to what has become one of my favorite canning books: The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard. Their method uses standing periods alternating with much shorter cooking times.  It makes a jam that retains its lovely red color and fresh flavor.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups halved or quartered firm strawberries (depending on the size)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
  

Directions:

Mix berries and sugar and let stand for 8 hours, stirring occasionally.  I started this process on Saturday morning and left for the day so I stirred it at the beginning and the end.

Place berry mixture in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Add lemon juice, return to a boil and boil rapidly for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 24 hours.

Bring berries to a full boil over high heat and boil rapidly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.

Ladle into hot jars and process for 10 minutes. If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Remove the jars from the canner and let them sit overnight on the counter.

This jam tastes really good, is easy to make, and only makes 3 cups.  This is good if you only want a small batch of jam, or perhaps you want to try another jam with your strawberry harvest.  This is what I chose to do.

I used some of the remaining frozen berries to make Quick Strawberry Lemon Marmalade for the monthly Tigress Can Jam Challenge.  You might enjoy that one as well.

Happy Canning!
Cathy

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation