Strawberry Jam

 

Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits to eat during the spring and summer. When I came back home to southern California for spring break, strawberry jam seemed like a great idea, since strawberries are plentiful here. My mom loves to can (she should definitely start her own canning blog) and so she has all the necessary equipment and accessories needed to make this recipe and many others. Canning is really fun to do; although you do need some equipment in order to correctly process the jars under hot water, it's well worth the buy when your result is delicious jam, jelly or preserves. We made organic applesauce the day before making this strawberry jam, and it was delicious! (post coming soon). You will love this jam on toast for breakfast or in a yummy PB&J :) 

Here is the recipe: 

from The Joy of Jams, Jellies and other Sweet Preserves

Makes 3 1/2 pints

• 3 pounds of strawberries, hulled
• 6 tbl lemon juice
• Seeds and membranes of 2 lemons (wrapped in cheese cloth)
• 4 1/2 C sugar

1. Put the strawberries into a preserving pan and mash them if they are quite firm. Add the lemon juice. Put the lemon seeds and membranes into a cheese cloth, wrap it and add it to the pan (The lemon seeds and membranes add pectin, which improves the gel). Cover the pan and simmer with strawberries until they are soft. 
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar. Stir the contents over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Rase the heat to medium-high and boil the jam, stirring and skimming off the foam, until a drop mounds slightly in a chilled dish. (or you could place a few spoons in the freezer, then test the consistency of the jam with the cold spoon. If it sheets off in one clump off the spoon, then that is the right gel consistency. There are many resources to consult regarding the proper gel consistency - Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving is the Bible, especially for beginning canners.)
3. Press the cheese cloth bag against the side of the pan, and remove the bag. Ladle the jam into pint or half-pint mason jars. Add lids and rings, and process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath. 

Once the jars have completely cooled after removing them from the water-bath, add cute labels to the tops of the lids or attach some tags to ribbon or raffia and tie to the lids! With any recipe you choose to can, they are perfect and lovely gifts for anyone. They never go bad and are always made with love and care. 

xoxo, A