#Strawberry jam how to#
#Strawberry jam full#

Watch: How to Make (and Can!) Pectin-Free Strawberry Jam So when I do buy them from the store, I always make sure to buy organic.Д«ut we also grow some pretty damn good strawberries where here on Vancouver Island, and I would rather buy local and support our local farmers, as well as keep pesticides out of our food and save money by buying in season, andВ reduce our waste and carbon footprint by purchasing local and bringing our own basket (no more plastic clamshells!), so I tend to load up on strawberries when theyвЂ™re in season and preserve as many as possible for eating throughout the year. But there are certain items I try extra hard to preserve and put up in season so that I can avoid buying them from the grocery store, and strawberries top the list.ДЇor one, strawberries are on the dirty dozen list, meaning that non-organic strawberries are one of the most heavily sprayed crops when it comes to pesticides.

Now, IвЂ™m not perfect, and we do still rely heavily on the grocery store in the off-season especially. But since most fruits and veggies donвЂ™t grow locally year-round, I try to also preserve as much as possible to get us through the year until things are in season again. In the summer we grow a large organic garden of our own and do our best to supplement with produce from other nearby organic farms. Personally I try to eat and feed my family as seasonally, locally and organic as possible, all year round. But anybody whoвЂ™s ever tasted a fresh, local, organic strawberry in season knows thereвЂ™s just no comparison to the store-bought variety for sale in plastic clamshells in mid-January. Of course, we live in a time when you can pretty much get strawberries year-round at the grocery store. And for homesteaders and home canners everywhere, they also mark the official beginning of canning and jam-making season Being the first fruit of the season to appear in most places, strawberries are a symbol of the abundance that lies ahead. Nothing says summer like the taste of fresh strawberries picked and eaten right out of the garden or field. Plus, the optional addition of vanilla makes this classic strawberry jam taste just like a strawberry sundae!

This pectin-free strawberry jam canning recipe utilizes the natural pectin in strawberries to create a homemade jam that tastes just like summer in a jar. For more information, please read my Affiliate Disclosure. Separated jam in sealed jars will store safely.* This article contains an affiliate link. If your jam has jelled in a separated state, you can gently stir the pulp and juice back together when you open the jar to eat it. By keeping the pulp well distributed throughout the jars, there will not be a dividing line when the jell finally starts and locks everything into place. You always want the jars to end up right side up. Turn the jars right side up again in about 30 minutes. Check again in another 45 minutes and if you have a distinct dividing line, turn the jars upside down again. Come back in about 45 minutes and turn the jars right side up to once again force the pulp to redistribute through the jar. If you see that you have fruit float, turn the jars upside down to force the pulp to redistribute through the jar. Then come back and check to make sure they are all sealed. In the future, when you take the jars out of the water bath, leave them for about an hour to start cooling and seal. You could even add a little of your sweetener to cook with the fruit, still leaving enough sweetener to adequately disburse the pectin powder without going over the sweetener limit.

#Strawberry jam full#

However, if you want to discourage fruit float from happening, you can mash your fruit a little more and you can cook your fruit for a little while before you bring it up to the full boil. Strawberries are prone to fruit float although it doesnвЂ™t always happen. What you have is called вЂњfruit float.вЂќ When the jars of jam are very hot and there is no jell yet, the pulp, which is lighter than the juice, is able to float to the top of the jar. Just enough to get the honey/pectin to dissolve. You can try mashing them up more fine, and making sure they do not boil too high, for very long. Strawberries are the worst culprits for foaming! No fun.