Everyone’s favourite, strawberry jam is very simple and easy to make. The only reason why there are so many ingredients in the commercial versions is to make the jam shelf stable for, apparently, decades. Home made strawberry jam is so delicious you won’t have to worry about shelf life!
- 8 cups crushed hulled strawberries that have been rinsed off in a 50/50 white vinegar/water solution (unless they are 100% organic)
- 6 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
- Prepare cans and lids.
- Combine strawberries, lemon juice (if using) and sugar in a large non-reactive pan. Heat over medium-low heat until the sugar has all melted. Boil, stirring frequently, until the jam passes the sheet test or whatever test you prefer – when you pick up some of the jam on a spoon, it should all come off in one sheet when you tip the spoon into the pan.
- Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, remove canner from the heat, remove the lid, and leave the jars for 5 further minutes. Your jam is done!
See, I told you it’d be easy. As an added bonus, your whole house will smell of strawberries for hours after!
3 responses to “Strawberry jam”
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I used this recipe last year–absolutely wonderful! In fact I won a blue ribbon at the county fair. One thing that I like to do to prevent the strawberries all from floating to the top is to bring it to a boil, then turn off the heat. Let it sit over night. In the morning, bring to a boil and process as normal. This allows the sugar to fully integrate into the cells of the strawberries which makes the fruit heavier in the syrup and then the fruit is more dispersed throughout.
Oooh, nice tip about letting them stand overnight! Thanks!