Last month, Jeff and I went to a nearby farm to pick strawberries. Because I knew I’d be squatting to pick berries, I didn’t bring my phone with me so I have no photos of the beautiful fields of green plants with red berries. Oh well.
I picked 2 quarts of strawberries to use for the jam. I think I actually picked a bit more than 2 quarts because I filled them so high.
Strawberry jam is my favorite so I was happy to get a chance to make some jam. It tastes so fresh! And it’s fairly easy to make.
Getting Everything Ready
Before getting started, I get all my gear in order:
- jars (Mason jars, Ball jars, any jam jars and I like 8 oz. jars) washed in hot soapy water
- new lids with rubber seals and screw top bands
- a big canning pot or water bath, with a lift-out wire rack if you can get one
- a second fairly large (6-8 quart) pot to cook the berries and sugar in
- canning tools, especially a device to lift the jars into and out of the pot and a funnel with a handle that fits the jar mouths (Ball sells a little kit for less than $10 that’s really handy)
- long-handled wooden spoon
- potato masher
- ladle
- pot holders
- a couple of dish towels
- pectin (I like Certo pectin)
- 7 cups of sugar measured out so that it’s ready to go.
Strawberry Jam Making Procedure
Next, clean the strawberries. Remove the stem and green leaves. Wash the berries without soaking them and dry them a little bit.
Jeff asked me to leave some of the strawberries whole or almost whole rather than mashing them all like I usually do. At first, I was resistant, but he won be over. I mashed about 2/3 of the berries, and left 1/3 whole or halved if the strawberry was really big.
Fill the jam pot with water to a few inches from the top and add the clean jars. Bring to a boil to sterilize the jars and add in the lids and rings. Boil for about 10 minutes.
- Measure 4 cups of berries and add them 2/3 of them to the second pot. Mash the strawberries in the pot, and then add the remaining whole or halved berries. FYI, I didn’t measure my berries, and I think that was a mistake because I’m sure I had more than 4 cups of berries. The more the merrier, right? Not necessarily.
- Add the 7 cups of sugar to the pot.
- Turn the heat on to medium-low to start.
- Stir in one pouch of liquid pectin. (This is what the directions say to do. The blueberry jam recipe calls for two pouches of liquid pectin.)
- Add about a teaspoon of butter to reduce the foaming, though it seems to happen anyway.
- Turn up the heat to medium or medium-high and bring to a full, rolling boil while stirring with a wooden spoon. It usually takes less than 5 minutes to come to a boil. Boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Shut off the heat and skim off the foam with a metal spoon.
- Ladle immediately into the clean jars. Fill to 1/4″ of the top. Wipe off the lip of the jars with a clean dishtowel or paper towel. Place the rubberized lid on top and then screw on the band. Do not tighten them all the way.
- With the jar lifter, place the jars back in the boiling water and boil them for 10 minutes to process them so they’ll last for several months without spoiling.
- Remove the jars, place them on a wire rack or on a dishtowel. You’ll hear the lids seal as they make a sucking or popping noise. Tighten the bands.
- Let the jars cool. And let them sit for about 24 hours to fully thicken.
The recipe is supposed to make 8 jars of jam, but because I had more strawberries, I got more.
So how did the jam come out? It was delicious, and I liked having some whole and halved berries in the jam. But it wasn’t quite as jelled as I would like it. I think the issue was that I had more than 4 cups of berries, and strawberries are very juicy and watery. I should have put in an extra half pouch of pectin and probably a little more sugar (though it certainly tastes plenty sweet!) Actually next time, I’ll measure the fruit and not put in extra. 😳
At any rate, I’m glad I captured the taste of spring in a jar! It’s great on yogurt, ice cream and of course, on toast. 😀
Oh YUM! I love anything strawberry. Your jam sounds and looks heavenly. I cannot do picking of any kind since I always end up covered in some sort of angry rash. Years ago I went cherry picking and it took at least a month or so for the poisonous rash I got to go away. I had to sleep on newspapers because it seeped so much. Some of my blisters were as big as my hand. It was awful and I looked like a monster. lol
That’s awful, Laura. I’m so sorry that that happened to you after doing something that’s fun outdoors. I’ve never heard of having to sleep on newspaper, awful. I wish you were closer by coz I’d drive over with a jar of jam for you.
The last time that I had to rest on newspaper bedding was in my late 20s thankfully. My Aunt was also highly allergic and that was what they did when she seeped. I guess I have my Mother’s side of the family to blame for my reactive skin. Because they were poor I think the newspaper was used as an invention of necessity. I will tell you that it works better than constantly changing bed sheets.
I would love to be able to pick cherries or any fruit again. I may not being able to scale trees like I use to but I remember enjoying it until the misery began. I want to pick apples this Fall but Brian is wary of it. He has spent too much of our marriage being my nursemaid. ha ha We will be married 15 years July 26th. 🙂 That is a long time for man to be doing that. lol
Your husband Brian sounds like a gem! You are lucky but so is he. Congratulations on 15 years coming up soon!!
I hope you had fun!:) I’ve never picked strawberries before, but i have picked peaches. Down here in Texas we have so many peach fields and we like to go during the summer time. That strawberry jam recipe looks delicious!
Thank you, Valerie! I pick whatever’s in season. Peaches are a favorite because they look so gorgeous on the trees. I like making peach jam too as well as peach cobble and peach-raspberry pie.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have a plum tree in my yard that is loaded with fruit and really wanted to figure out what to do with it. Jam would be perfect!
Absolutely, jam would be a great way to save the plums for the winter as well as eat some now. Also, a plum tart would be delicious. Jam really isn’t hard to make, and the exact instructions for plum jam is in the pectin brochure, if you go that route rather than just boiling down the jam.
We haven’t picked fruit in a while but it is so much fun! If I wasn’t so impatient with cooking, I’d love to give this a whirl. Is it possible to use brown sugar instead of white?
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I’ve never tried it with brown sugar. Brown sugar is white sugar plus molasses so it might be a slightly different taste but probably not hugely different. Picking fruit with kids is so much fun, a nice family activity 🙂
Looks delicious!
It is!
I’ve made strawberry topping for my cheesecake but never jam. I probably need to try instead of going with a store bought version.
Tiki recently posted…Pura D’or Argan Oil Shampoo, Conditioner, and Pure Argan Oil Review
It’s a fun cooking or craft project, Tiki!
YUMMY!!!!!!! Strawberry has always been my very favorite jam! Thank you for the recipe!
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You’re welcome. Hope you get to try it some day, Helen 🙂
There is nothing like picking fresh strawberries and making jam. My mom use to can quite a bit .. I’ve never tried.
Monica.
It’s pretty easy, Monica!
Yum! These would make nice little additions to everyones Christmas gifts 🙂
Yes, I made blueberry jam last December for DIY holiday gifts!
What beautiful ruby red strawberries for your jam 🙂
Ursula aka Blueridge Beauty
Tasty too!
This sounds delicious!
It really is, and fun to do!
Oh this sounds so good!
It is delicious!
As long as it tastes amazing, is all that matters. And, you still know for next time what to not do. It looks great!
Oh Kim, when it comes to strawberries I do this over and over again. I always load up those quart baskets and I feel that I need to use #allthestrawberries!
Mmm… Strawberry jam… *passes toast*
Erika recently posted…Summer Washed Water Colour Makeup Look
Wish you could just pop over for breakfast! Plenty to go around 🙂
i seriously love this idea! It would be great for me to do with my kids on a weekend.
Color Me So Crazy recently posted…Alpha Mani presents the Letter V
Definitely a great project to do with kids including the fruit picking part: blueberries or raspberries or peaches!
If my husband saw this post he’d leave me and go live with you. He adores strawberries and this jam would make him so happy. Too bad I’m not the one to make it.
😀 too funny, Marcia!
I love strawberries! Thanks for sharing your recipe
Kath TheFabZilla recently posted…Seriously Bloody Beautiful | BUTTER LONDON LIPPY BLOODY BRILLIANT LIP CRAYON (REVIEW,SWATCH,PHOTOS)
I love them too. I wish strawberry season here in the NE were longer than a couple of weeks!
The only thing I’ve managed to successfully can in a mason jar has been laundry soap! I like the idea of home made jam, but oy, the work. I wish I had a friend that loved to make it, though! lol.
Nidia – Lit From Within recently posted…Reviva Labs Hawaiian Seaweed Cleansing Milk
I love to cook and I love crafts so it’s something I’ve been doing since I was in college. In middle school, I used to make candles and tie dye shirts in my mom’s pots for cooking. Plus I really do love canning to keep spring and summer in a jar.
I haven’t made jam since I was a teenager! We have thimbleberries and huckleberries that grow wild here and they make great jam too!
Cindy (Prime Beauty) recently posted…Review: Body Fantasies Signature Fragrance Body Spray
Do you also have marionberries (are you in OR)? Yes, they all make great jam!
Yum!
Destany recently posted…Inspired by a Book Mani – The Rise of the Wyrm Lord by Wayne Thomas Batson
I always thought making jam would be so hard and time intensive, but this looks relatively simple. And fun!
It really is simple and fun, Ameerah. A fun project to do with kids too.
I’m not crafty at all but you’re making me want to try it!
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It’s so yummy. Definitely a fun project to do with slightly older kids
How to Make Strawberry Jam. Drive to Allison’s house. Pack box full of Allison’s jam. Go home. Fin.
Brooke @ Blushing Noir recently posted…Tria Hair Removal Laser 4x Review // Upping the Ante
That is hysterical, Brooke. See you soon!
I’ve made tons of jam! I’ll probably start making it more now that we’ll be close to family!
Stephanie Louise (@StephLouiseATB) recently posted…Neon Tropical Summer Dry Brush Nail Art
I’m glad to hear that you’re on the jam bandwagon too, Stephanie!!
I’m so excited to try this!!
Miranda Mendoza recently posted…Review: mark. Buenos Aires Collection
I hope you’ll try it, Miranda. I find it to be a fun hobby and everyone always appreciates getting a jar!
Fresh. local berries are always the best! I’ve never made cooked jam, but I’ve used the freezer jam pectin and it turned out really well.
I haven’t made freezer jam in a while but I remember it was fun!
Yummmmmy! I’ll be right over with a plate of toast for some jam! <3
I’ll be waiting for you!!
I could go for that right about now.
It is definitely yummy