Jogeephus
Well-known member
With spring approaching and berry season upon us, I thought I'd share a good foolproof strawberry jam recipe for those who may have had trouble making strawberry jam before and prefer not to buy a lot of additives.
Decap strawberries and weigh them.
To the net weight of the strawberries measure 75% cane sugar. This is less sugar than many recipes call for which can be problematic in making jam but by adding less sugar you will enhance the strawberry flavor and the jam won't taste like strawberry flavored sugar. The drawback is your yield will suffer and with less sugar its harder to for the jam to set. But if flavor and a high quality jam is more important than volume then I think you will be pleased with this recipe.
Next, cover the strawberries in sugar and let them macerate for a couple hours. This will draw out the moisture. The time required will depend greatly on how finely you have chopped the berries but you will know when they are ready because they will look soup like with plenty of moisture with berries floating in it.
To remedy the jelling problem, for every 2-3 lbs of strawberries chop up three tart apples and one lemon and place in a pot and add about a cup of water and cover and bring to boil then simmer covered till the apples are mushy. The consistency of apple sauce.
Run the apples/lemon through a food mill or press through a sieve to extract the apple sauce looking stuff. This is your pectin and is needed since strawberries have very little pectin and since are working with reduced sugar.
Next, combine all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. You can press the berries down as it boils or what is safer is to simply run the berries through a food processor prior to adding to the pot.
Boil this mixture uncovered, stirring regularly till the solution reaches 220F, As you are boiling a white froth will form on the top. This froth won't hurt the jam but it does make for unsightly jam so skim this off as you are boiling and stirring. You'll have plenty of time to do this. Another method is to add a pat or two of butter in the beginning and this will stop this from happening. This will work but it will also negatively affect the shelf life of the jam so I don't do this but then again this jam probably won't stay on the shelf long anyway.
The solution will not reach 220F until enough water has been removed to jell properly. As soon as it reaches 220F or it passes the Moses Test remove from heat and add to jars and can using a water bath for 10 minutes - 5 minutes if you are using sterilized jars.
Using this method will insure a good jam set while it will still be creamy and spreadable. The flavor is spot on where you taste the strawberries and not just strawberry flavored sugar. The only drawback is you won't get the yield like some of the other recipes. But if flavor and quality is your priority then I think you will like this. Besides, Walmart sells the sugary stuff if you prefer.
Decap strawberries and weigh them.
To the net weight of the strawberries measure 75% cane sugar. This is less sugar than many recipes call for which can be problematic in making jam but by adding less sugar you will enhance the strawberry flavor and the jam won't taste like strawberry flavored sugar. The drawback is your yield will suffer and with less sugar its harder to for the jam to set. But if flavor and a high quality jam is more important than volume then I think you will be pleased with this recipe.
Next, cover the strawberries in sugar and let them macerate for a couple hours. This will draw out the moisture. The time required will depend greatly on how finely you have chopped the berries but you will know when they are ready because they will look soup like with plenty of moisture with berries floating in it.
To remedy the jelling problem, for every 2-3 lbs of strawberries chop up three tart apples and one lemon and place in a pot and add about a cup of water and cover and bring to boil then simmer covered till the apples are mushy. The consistency of apple sauce.
Run the apples/lemon through a food mill or press through a sieve to extract the apple sauce looking stuff. This is your pectin and is needed since strawberries have very little pectin and since are working with reduced sugar.
Next, combine all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. You can press the berries down as it boils or what is safer is to simply run the berries through a food processor prior to adding to the pot.
Boil this mixture uncovered, stirring regularly till the solution reaches 220F, As you are boiling a white froth will form on the top. This froth won't hurt the jam but it does make for unsightly jam so skim this off as you are boiling and stirring. You'll have plenty of time to do this. Another method is to add a pat or two of butter in the beginning and this will stop this from happening. This will work but it will also negatively affect the shelf life of the jam so I don't do this but then again this jam probably won't stay on the shelf long anyway.
The solution will not reach 220F until enough water has been removed to jell properly. As soon as it reaches 220F or it passes the Moses Test remove from heat and add to jars and can using a water bath for 10 minutes - 5 minutes if you are using sterilized jars.
Using this method will insure a good jam set while it will still be creamy and spreadable. The flavor is spot on where you taste the strawberries and not just strawberry flavored sugar. The only drawback is you won't get the yield like some of the other recipes. But if flavor and quality is your priority then I think you will like this. Besides, Walmart sells the sugary stuff if you prefer.
loved it on pancakes. Worked good on Bluebell ice cream too. :nod:
