Saturday, June 11, 2011

How to Make and Can Strawberry Jam

Homemade Strawberry Jam
adapted from here

6 cups of crushed strawberries (About 10 cups whole)
4 cups sugar
Sterilized Jars
Lids
Water bath Canner
Jar Lifter

Get your water bath canner heated and boiling.

I like to start with fresh picked organic strawberries. You need to wash them and hull them. Then cut them up.  I like small pieces of fruit in my jams so I cut them and crush them up pretty good. 

Place crushed berries in a large saucepan, preferably non stick. Mix 1/2 cup of the sugar and the pectin and add to the strawberries.  Heat berries to a full rolling boil, should take 5-10 minutes. You want to make sure you stir often as this will burn and ruin the batch. 

This is the perfect time to heat up your lids and get your sterilized jars ready. 

Once it comes to a full rolling boil, stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of sugar and bring back to a full boil. Boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir the berries.  Using a ladle and funnel, fill jars leaving 1/4 inch head space  Place lid and ring on top of jar and tighten. 

Using a jar lifter, carefully put jars into canner making sure there is at least 2  inches of water above them.

Process jars in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Remove from canner and let sit for 24 hours. Once cool, test jars ot make sure they have sealed properly. You can do this by pushing on the middle of the lids to make sure they do not pop back.

Label and enjoy! You can store these for 12-18 months!

2 comments:

  1. Awesome! I am so excited to try making jam this year

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  2. It is so yummy! And so much better for you than the junk you can buy int he store! Good luck and let me know how it goes when you make it!

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