It’s strawberry season and the fruit is fresh, sweet, and delicious! Making wine, syrup or just eaten raw, they are a wonderful summer treat! But don’t forget to bring summer to the table with homemade strawberry jam–fill your shelves for the year!
Homemade Strawberry Jam is Super Easy
Making jam is a great place to start if you are new to canning. It’s quick and easy, and even if you mess it up, you can still use it on pancakes or cheesecake!
But seriously, if you follow the instructions, you will be able to make a nice jam to gift or eat.
The Tools
Here is the list of the basic items you would need to can a batch of jam. I am adding a water bath canner to this list just in case you aren’t yet ready for pressure canning and don’t want to spend the extra money for one at this time.
- water bath canner
- 8 oz. mason jars
- lids and rings to fit jars
- jar lifter
- lid lifter and bubble remover
- headspace tool
- canning funnel for regular or wide mouth jars
- kitchen timer
- clean kitchen towels (I love these flour sack towels, but any clean kitchen towels will do)
The Recipes
There are a couple of ways you can make this jam–regular or low sugar. We prefer lower sugar but I’ll be including both recipes for you to print.
While I prefer a lower sugar jam for myself, I will be making a regular version for those on my holiday gift list. I’ve included recipes for both, so that you can make the choice of recipe that fits your needs best.
Regular Homemade Strawberry Jam
When making a regular sugar jam, you just want to make sure to follow directions as written, being careful not to overcook it past its set point.
Here’s a great resource that will help you determine the problem if your jam doesn’t set up right.
Homemade Strawberry Jam {Regular Sugar}
Ingredients
- 5 cups prepared fruit buy about 2 qt. fully ripe strawberries
- 1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin
- 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine
- 7 cups sugar measured into separate bowl
Instructions
- Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
- Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 5 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot.
- Stir pectin into fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
- Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
- Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if needed.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes (adjust for altitude*).
- Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)
- Let prepared jars stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store unopened jams and jellies in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate open jam.
Notes
Low Sugar Homemade Strawberry Jam
Making a low sugar jam is a little more tricky, but it definitely can be done! You’ll need to use a pectin product that is made to use with low sugar jams, and you’ll also want to make sure that you make no adjustments and follow directions completely.
Homemade Strawberry Jam {Low Sugar}
Ingredients
- 6 cups strawberries crushed
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 box box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin for Less or No Sugar Jam (pink box)
Instructions
- Prepare fruit by removing and discarding strawberry stems. Crush fruit.
- Use dry measuring cup to measure exact amount of prepared fruit into the sauce pan.
- Measure the exact amount of sugar into large bowl. (Do not reduce sugar in recipe since that will result in set failures.)
- Combine 1/4 cup sugar from measured about and 1 package Sure Jell for Less or No Sugar Needed Premium Fruit Pectin in small bowl. Stir into fruit. Add 1/2 tsp butter to reduce foaming, if desired.
- Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
- Stir in remaining sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring contantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
- Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly.
- Place jars on eleveated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. "Water must cover jars by 1-2 inches. Add boiling wter, if needed.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process for 10 minutes, adjusting processing time for altitude, if necessary.*
- Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing centers of lids with finger. If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.
- Let prepared jars stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store unopened jams and jellies in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate open jams and jellies for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
Don’t throw away those strawberry tops!
You can make some wonderful strawberry syrup for your lemonade, kombucha, pancakes, or whatever you like to use it for–or freeze for later!
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