A couple of weeks ago my mother in law and I took a Saturday afternoon and made strawberry and raspberry jam. Strawberries are in season now and at a reasonable price! So, we stocked up, put our aprons on and went to town! I made a batch of strawberry jam and let me tell you it was a no brainer!
Here is what you will need:
Strawberries, Lemon Juice, Light Corn Syrup, Fruit Pectin and Sugar (not pictured)
First, you will want to wash your strawberries and the jars you will be putting the jam into. Any type of jar or plastic container will work.
After you have washed the strawberries, cut off the stems and slice them into pieces, so it is easier to blend.
We put the strawberries into the blender to pulse. You do not want the strawberries to be runny; you want bits of fruit in it! If you do not have a blender you can use a potato masher.
You will want EXACTLY 8 cups of crushed fruit. Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the fruit. Gradually add in 1 box of the fruit pectin to the strawberries. Mix thoroughly. Set it aside and let it sit for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to dissolve pectin thoroughly.
Next pour in 1 cup of the light corn syrup into the strawberries and mix well. This prevents sugar crystallization during freezer storage.
Now measure out EXACTLY 4 1/2 cups of sugar and put into a separate bowl. You will want to add the sugar gradually until it is completely dissolved and no longer grainy.
This is what your jam should look like, once the sugar is added.
Pour the jam into your prepared containers, but MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE 1/2 INCH SPACE AT THE TOP FOR EXPANSION DURING FREEZING! Then add the lids.
Let the jam sit at room temperature for 24 hours until set. You can refrigerate up to 3 weeks. Otherwise, store in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator. It makes about 7 jars of jam.
Ta-da! Wasn’t that easy??
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