Strawberry Jam or why Reading is Fundamental

While I can walk into any supermarket here in New England at any time of year and find strawberries in the produce section, I've found the season for local strawberries is about 4 – 6 weeks. Having “cut my teeth” on canning with applesauce, salsa and one very long Sunday in October making grape jelly, I cannot tell you how excited I was when I learned of KevinWest's Basic Strawberry Jam recipe.

Even though I needed to wait a year before trying this recipe, I was grateful to have a recipe for jam which didn't call for as much sugar as fruit. As local strawberry season approached, I reviewed the hard copy I printed the prior year, noting what ingredients I had, needed, as well as which pots, pans and utensils were to be pulled out and used.   

Donning my “canning clothes”, clothes that I don't care if they get dirty or sticky, I went to my local farmer's market and bought strawberries. Following the recipe, I washed and mashed the strawberries, combined them with the other ingredients and canned the end result.

It was only until after the last jar had sealed with its distinctive “pop” sound that I realized the jam consistency was soft-set at room temperature,--as is noted in the recipe. My heart sank as I personally prefer a firmer-set. I also scolded myself for not fully reading the recipe.

Looking at these jars of soft-set jam my mind went to work on how to make a firmer-set jam. It took me 24 hours and having to open every jar of freshly canned jam as well as 3 seasons of local strawberries, testing and refining to bring this recipe to post.

If you like firmer-set jam, similar to what you would find the supermarket, this is a recipe you might want to try.

If you like your jam with a soft-set consistency, then I highly recommend Kevin West's recipe for Basic Strawberry Jam.

Either way, I suggest wearing clothes that can get dirty or sticky.

Strawberries ready to become jam

Strawberry Jam, Firm-set

yield: 1 ½ – 2 pints

2 pounds ripe strawberries (approximately 4 cups diced)

2 ½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1 ½ tablespoons reconstituted lemon juice)

1 granny smith apple approximately, 2 1/4” - 3” in diameter, peeled grated and pressed

Rinse strawberries and remove their caps. Depending upon size of strawberries and freshness, slice and remove any “over ripe soft spots” (you'll know these when you see them).

Place strawberries in a 3 quart pot and crush with a potato masher or your hands. 

Add sugar and lemon juice to crushed strawberries. Set aside.

Peel granny smith apple and grate using box grater. Squeeze as much excess juice as possible from grated apple. To squeeze the juice, I suggest one thick or two thin paper towel sheets layered atop each other, placing grated apple in center, folding up corners of towel in one hand, and squeezing and twisting paper towel where apple is with the other.

Add grated pressed apple to strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.  Stir mixture to loosely combine ingredients. 

On small burner on stove top, bring mixture to boil over high heat. Boil and stir constantly on high heat for 10 minutes, skimming off any foam.

Reduce heat to medium, continue to cook and stir for another 10 – 20 minutes. Jam should be a deep ruby red color and be half the amount you started with.

Turn off heat.  If canning, ladle hot jam into prepared ½ pint jars, leaving 1/4” head space. Seal, and process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.  Unsealed jars should be kept refrigerated.


If not canning, ladle hot jam into clean glass jars with well-fitting lids, leaving 1/4" head space. Cover and place in refrigerator to keep jam from spoiling. Uncanned jam should be good for two weeks if kept refrigerated.


 

 

Strawberry Jam, canned and processed,

ready for eating