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Easy Strawberry Jam
A beginner can make easy strawberry jam with excellent results. It was the first jam I tried to make with my boys at home. Grayson and Grant can get overzealous when it comes to picking strawberries. I have been known to pay thirty dollars for the buckets full of juicy fruit after the boys get through picking. After that episode, I put markings on their collection containers.
Family Recipe
Easy strawberry jam is what I was looking for to get back to my roots in my grandmother’s kitchen. She made everything seem so easy. Sitting on that stool in her kitchen made me think I would be a great cook like her. Our first batch was by the book from the Ball Canning guide, and I almost fainted at the amount of sugar the recipe called for. I am not against sweetness, but Grayson and Grant eat way too much to consume THAT much sugar in their jam. I soon discovered Pomona’s pectin and have never looked back. It allows you to use low-sugar, no sugar, honey, or fruit juice to sweeten your jams and jellies. We found the sweet spot recipe because we sell out when we take them to craft fairs, and we love to give them as gifts to friends.
Cooking with kids
Grayson and Grant pitch in for the preparation of the easy strawberry jam. I love that they enjoy doing kitchen duty with me. I am soaking it in, I am sure they will hit an age where the last thing they want to do is cook with mom! I do hope they will take away recipes and knowledge to use when they are on their own. I hope their future wives will enjoy it too!! They think we are just cooking food, but I am really filming these moments in my mind to remember when they are grown.
Science of cooking
Having children of all ages help make jams covers so many areas of cooking and science. Washing and cutting fruit. Measuring the fruit, sugar, and water. Mixing the pectin and adding the right measurements at the appropriate times. Canning is an excellent life skill to learn at any age.
Is strawberry jam better with or without pectin?
There are simple recipes on the box or bottle of regular fruit pectin. Remember that a jam or jelly recipe can have different ingredients, but you must follow the instructions on the pectin you choose. Using pectin in your recipe will reduce your cooking time. If you cook your jam for a long time, it will reduce and thicken on its own, but the results might not be what you are used to. Pectin will give the jam the consistency that will make a good jam.
Easy strawberry jam recipe
2 quarts of strawberries, about 4 cups
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups sugar
4 to 5 1/2 pint jars
Pomona’s pectin or other pectin sources like Sur-gel
Add strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons of calcium water to a 5-quart pot, bring to a boil.
Mix 2 teaspoons of pectin powder and sugar in a bowl.
Add sugar mixture to strawberries and return to a boil. Stirring frequently to not burn on the bottom.
Once the mixture has been brought to the second boil, it is ready to pour into your hot, sterilized jars.
Follow the directions on the pectin product that you use for recipe alterations.
This recipe uses Pomona’s Pectin, which we like because it uses less sugar.
Why do you put lemon juice in strawberry jam?
Lemon juice helps the ph of your fruit. Bottled lemon juice will create the right ph to help the jam gel properly.
How long does homemade strawberry jam last?
Store-bought jam has nothing on what you can prepare at home. You can also follow the recipe until the point of water bath canning and put them in the freezer instead. The jars will last several months in the freezer or up to a month in the refrigerator.
Unfortunately, in my house, strawberry jam does not last long. I have to hide jars to make them last through the summer. The boys love to make peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches.
Enjoy this recipe and use it as a topping for ice cream, cakes, and anything you want to add a sweet and homemade touch.
Here are a few other great resources for canning: