June 28, 2012

Strawberry Jam

from Joy of Cooking 

Had a productive day making jam last week. Made three varieties in three separate pots: this recipe, as is; this recipe, doubled (2 quarts berries and 6 C sugar), with snipped lavender in it; and this recipe, doubled, with snipped thyme in it. Made 19+ 8-oz. jars of jam-- 8 strawberry, 8 strawberry-lavender, and 3 strawberry-thyme.

1 quart strawberries
3 C sugar (Joy recipe calls for 4 C, I have done it with 1/4 less sugar for two years)


Stem, wash, and dry strawberries.


Put berries into large, heavy pot with sugar on top.

Stir mixture with a wooden spoon over low heat until it has "juiced up." Then raise heat to moderate and stop stirring. When the whole is a bubbling mass, set timer for 15 minutes-- 17 if berries are very ripe. After 15 minutes, tilt the pot. You should see in the liquid at the bottom a tendency to set. Take pot off heat. Sprinkle surface with about 1 oz. lemon juice. Allow it to cool, uncovered.






Simmer lids in water and keep them there to be removed one at a time with tongs.

When cooler, stir lightly and place in sterile jars (I ran them through the dishwasher and took them directly from there). Leave 1/4 inch space at the top of each jar. Clean tops and sides of jar, then set lids on, then twist rings on until finger tight. Don't overtighten.

Bring pot of water to a boil. Place jars upright and boil for 10 minutes. Remove with tongs and let cool 12 hours. Check that all have sealed by checking for indentation in lids. If the lid has give or is not indented, put jar in refrigerator for immediate use or look into processing again for storage. (Ball jar web site has good information.) You will hear a satisfying pinging sound as they seal themselves. The next day, tighten rings. Store for up to a year.


1 comment:

  1. To be sure your jelly is done, I found this really helpful http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/jelly_point.html

    ReplyDelete