Strawberry Jam Recipe, How to make Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam with step by step by photos and easy to follow instructions:

Strawberry Jam is one way to have summer’s berries with you all year around. Sometimes there is nothing tastier than having a slice of toast with homemade Strawberry Jam with a glass of cold milk. I have picked up lots of strawberries from a nearby strawberry farm and have been making a number of things (ice cream, lemonade, smoothies, lassi, etc.) with them. Strawberry Jam was on my to-do-list since spring time.

I spent my entire morning cleaning, hulling and cooking strawberries but it is worth all the effort. We all love the homemade Strawberry Jam. I usually make a number of different fruit jams but Strawberry Jam ranks at the top of the list. Whether it is a slice of toast with peanut butter and jam for breakfast, snack with afternoon tea or a treat before going to bed at night, Strawberry Jam is our all time favorite.

Jam making at home is very easy. The preparation takes some time but cooking the jam is a very quick process. Let’s make some yummy jam!

How to make Strawberry Jam:

1. Get the strawberries. You can pick your own from your local strawberry farm or buy some that are already picked. At our local farm, there is no difference in price whether you pick your own or you buy already picked. I love to pick my own. It is so therapeutic!
   
2. Prepare the jam jars.
   How to prepare the jam jars:
   1. Use glass mason jars with tight fit lids to store the jam.
   2. Wash the jam jars and lids with warm soapy water and rinse them well.
   3. In a big pot of water, boil the jars and the lids for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. At this point, you can leave the jars in the hot water if you wish. I always remove the jars and lids from the hot water with tongs and keep them in the warm oven until used. I prefer that there is no moisture in the jar or on the lid when I will pour the jam into it. I turn on the oven to 150 F. Put the jars and lids upside down on the oven rack and let it stay there while I am cooking the jam.
3. Making Jam.
   1. Wash the strawberries. Do not leave the strawberries soaked in water. They absorb water very easily and become very soft which is not good for making jam. Put the strawberries in a strainer and wash them quickly under running water. Lay a thick towel or sheet on the kitchen counter top or a table and cover it with some paper towel (do not use white towel or sheet. It will be stained with strawberry color). Gently lay the strawberries on the paper towel to dry out the excessive water.
   2. Hull the strawberries. The best way I find to remove the stem is to scoop out the stem with the tip of a potato peeler. I try not to use a knife to remove the top of the fruit. I feel that so much of the fruit gets wasted when we just slash the top of strawberries.
   3. Crush the strawberries. There are many ways to crush the strawberries: you can simply mash it with a potato masher, pass it through the food mill or chop it in the food processor. I like to have some chunks of fruits in the jam but not too much of it, so I chop the strawberries  in the food processor.
   4. Measure sugar or any other sweetener you are using. Have butter and lemon juice handy.
   5. In a large heavy bottomed stainless steel pot, add crushed strawberries and pectin; mix it very well to prevent the pectin from forming lumps. Add  butter to reduce foaming. Bring it to a boil over high heat.
   6. Add sugar and mix well. Keep stirring until sugar is dissolved completely. Bring it to a full rolling boil and let it boil for 1 minute (keep a timer to take a note of the time). It is important not to over-cook or under-cook the jam. Remove from the heat.
      
   7. Skim off any foam that appears at the top of the jam. You don’t want to store the jam with foam. It doesn’t taste good.
   8. Put 3 or 4 jars on a baking tray. (I use a baking tray to catch any spills. It is so easy to just wash the tray afterward.) Place a jam funnel on one of the jars. Carefully ladle the jam into the jar leaving about a ½ inch from the top. Leave the jars aside and let the jam cool.
   9. It is time to seal the jars now. There are many different methods to store the jam. Some people simply like to put the lid on the jars and keep the jam in the fridge for the entire year. Well, I don’t have that much room in my fridge(s). Others like to use Boiling Water Canning method, it never appealed to me. I use wax to seal my jam jars. I have been storing my jam with wax seals for over 25 years and it never failed, even once, so I am sticking to it.
      How to seal the jam jars with wax:
      Buy some clear  paraffin wax. You can find it in the same section of jam making supplies in the supermarket. Take a small pot that you will only use for melting the wax. Melt the wax over medium heat. You don’t need to melt the entire box of the wax. Just melt as much as you needed and save the rest for later use. Gently pour the melted wax over the cooled jam and slightly tilt the jar to allow the melted wax to run around the neck of the jar. Make sure that the entire top of the jam is completely covered with the wax. There should be no bare bits of jam, otherwise, it will develop mold.
   10. Let the jam cool completely before placing the lids on. Store in a cool and dry place.
   11. When opening the jam jar for use, simply remove the wax. It will harden into a dish shape when cooled. Take it out of the jar and enjoy your jam.
       
       
       Strawberry Jam

        

       

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       Prep time

       20

       Cook time

       10

       Total time

       30

        

       Deliciously fragrant homemade jam with fresh farm picked strawberries.

       Author: Raj Brar

       Recipe type: Jams/Preserves

       Cuisine: North American

       Serves: 7 cups

       Ingredients

       • 5 cups crushed strawberries
       • 6 cups sugar
       • ½ tsp unsalted butter (optional)
       • 1 box (57 g) of pectin

       Equipment Required:

       • 1 Large heavy bottomed pot
       • Food processor/chopper
       • Measuring cups
       • Measuring spoons
       • A ladle
       • A jam funnel
       • Canning tongs
       • Oven mittens
       • Glass mason jars (4 - 500ml jars for 1 recipe)
       • Clear Paraffin wax for sealing the jars

       Instructions

       1. Prepare the jam jars and the lids.
       2. Wash and dry strawberries on a towel or a sheet lined with the paper towel.
       3. Hull and crush the strawberries. Measure the fruit after it is crushed.
       4. Measure the sugar into a bowl and keep it aside.
       5. In a large heavy bottomed pot, add crushed strawberries and pectin; mix well to ensure pectin does not form lumps.
       6. Add butter if using. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.
       7. Add sugar and mix well. Keep stirring until sugar is dissolved.
       8. Bring the jam to a full rolling boil again and let it boil for 1 minute.
       9. Remove from the heat. Skim off the foam that has appeared on the surface of the jam.
       10. Place the jam funnel on a jar. Gently ladle the jam into clean jars.
       11. Keep the filled jars aside and let the jam cool.
       12. Melt some paraffin wax in a small pot and pour over the cooled jam. Gently tilt the jar to allow the melted wax to run around the neck of the jar to seal the jam properly.
       13. Allow the jam to cool completely. Place the lids on the jars. Store the jars in a cool and dry place.
       14. Keeps well for one year.

       3.5.3208
       
       

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