The quintessential flavor of homemade strawberry jam is easy to achieve thanks to these simple instructions!
This is the recipe my grandmother always used for her strawberry jam. It’s traditional strawberry jam at its best.
The taste and color when freshly made can’t be beat. Opening a jar in the cold winter months provides the sweetest reminder of summer.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and toast taste SO good with a smear of this vibrantly red spread. It also makes a thoughtful and much-appreciated gift.
This strawberry jam recipe works beautifully with frozen strawberries too. So if you didn’t get around to making jam during peak strawberry season or you’d simply like a taste of summer in the winter, frozen berries, which are frozen at the peak of ripeness, are your answer.
There is a lot of sugar in the recipe, but keep in mind the recipe yields eight 8-ounce jars. Plus, you’re eating it by the spoonful, not the cupful. Even with some major PB&J fans in my family, one batch lasts for months.
What supplies do I need to can jam?
Besides a large, heavy pot, you will need canning jars and lids to accommodate approximately eight cups of jam. It is also helpful to have a funnel wide enough to allow the jam to easily flow into your jars – this makes the transfer from the pot easier and less messy.
A wooden spoon for stirring, tongs to remove the lids from the simmering water, a potato masher (to crush the berries), and a second large pot or canner are all helpful.
What to use if I don’t have a canning pot?
Also called a water bath canner, this is simply a large pot with a removable rack and a lid. The pot is large enough for the jars to be covered with 1–2 inches of water. I place a rack on the bottom of a large soup pot and place the cans on the rack.
What to use if I don’t have a rack to fit my pot?
No rack that fits your pot? No problem. You can fold a tea towel and place the jars on that. Or use a trivet. Alternatively, you can fashion a rack by lining the bottom of the pot with the rings from the canning jar lids and place the jars on top. The idea is to prevent the glass jars from sitting directly on the heat source.
The canning process is simple, and advance prep makes the task even easier:
I like to prepare everything in advance. Washing the jars and lids, measuring the sugar, and getting the pot and utensils ready the ahead of time makes for relatively quick work.
Classic Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
- 2 quarts strawberries, washed, stems removed, cut and crushed to yield 5 cups crushed berries (see notes)
- 7 cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon butter (reduced foaming)
- 1 (1.75oz) box fruit pectin (I use Sure-Jell)
Instructions
- Pour the crushed strawberries with all the juices into a large pot. Measure the sugar into a separate bowl and set aside. Stir the package of pectin into the strawberries and add the butter.
- Stirring frequently, bring the strawberry mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred), and then add the sugar. Stir to fully incorporate.
- Return the mixture to a full, rolling boil and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove the pot from the heat.
- Skim any foam from the surface.
- Ladle quickly into clean jars. (I like to use a wide funnel.)
- Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean cloth.
- Place the lids on the jars and tighten the bands to "fingertip tight," meaning snug but not too tight.
- Place the jars in a canner and process (gently boil) for 10 minutes. The water should cover the jars by an inch or two – add additional boiling water, if necessary. Carefully remove the jars from the canner. (No canning pot? See main post for convenient alternative.)
- Cool completely before storing. Make certain all lids have sealed properly before storing: If the lid springs back when pressed in the middle, it is not sealed and should be stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Frozen strawberries work beautifully. Once they are partially thawed, I chop them. (They are easy to chop when still somewhat frozen. When fully thawed, you will lose a good bit of the juice, and you want that in your jam.) Then I place them in the pot and mash once they are thawed enough to easily do so.
- More recently with fresh berries, I roughly chop them and then crush the berries by squeezing with a clean hand. My hand gets a little red, but it’s an efficient way to thoroughly crush them. You can also do this with frozen berries once they have fully thawed.
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