Sweet Things Remembered

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Made with only four ingredients, this simple, delicious strawberry jam is great for biscuits, toast, or even a PB&J.

My grandparents did a lot of canning – green beans, tomatoes, pickles, grape jelly, and strawberry jam. I’m sure there were more things than that, but those are the ones I remember the most stocked up on the shelf in their garage. I wish I had learned more from them about canning before they passed, but my grandma did teach me how to make and water bath can strawberry jam. It was the summer after I moved home from college. I had stopped in at my grandparents’ house on a Wednesday afternoon (something I would do often after my early morning work shifts) and my grandma had been getting things ready to make jam. I was sitting at the table while she stood, working at the counter, when she told me to come on over and help so she could show me how to do it. She had already prepped all the strawberries and got the jars ready to go for canning the jam, so I just had to pour in the ingredients and stir. After the jam part was done, she demonstrated ladling it into the jars and getting them ready to go in the water bath. I didn’t think anything about it then, but looking back it was special getting to spend time with my grandma like that and learn something from her.

After we had finished making the jam and doing the water bath to seal the jars, my grandma started talking about all the people she needed to remember to take a jar to at church on Sunday. I think about that and smile because that was just how she was. She was always thinking of others and what she could make for them. She was such an example of Christ’s love and generosity, and I so admire that willingness to freely give away something she spent her time and money to make. Following what she taught me that day, I have 8 jars of delicious strawberry jam, and continuing to follow her example, now I just need to figure out who is going to get them.

Ingredients

• Strawberries
• Sugar
• Fruit Pectin – My grandma used the Sure-Jell brand, so that is what I used as well. The measurements of ingredients in this recipe come from their packaging. Other brands might differ for fruit and sugar amounts, so double check those measurements before making your jam.
• Butter – It isn’t a lot, but I believe it is supposed to help keep the jam from frothing too much.

Equipment

For the Jam:

• Large pot – I used a 5 qt pot
• Potato masher – Or another tool that can be used to crush up your strawberries. I wound up using a pastry blender because I don’t have a potato masher.
• Measuring cups
• Whisk or spatula for stirring

For Canning the Jam:

• Another large, deep pot – I used my 7 qt dutch oven and it was just barely big enough. I have made a mental note that if I want to do more canning, I will need to buy better equipment for that.
• A rack to put in the bottom of the pot – I did not have a rack that was big enough, so I lined the bottom of the dutch oven with the rings from jars that were not going to be used
• 8 oz jelly jars with lids – Another size can work if your pot is deep enough, but the Sure-Jell package said if you make the jam with their measurements, it will make enough for eight 8oz jars. I got this pack of 12 and used 8 of them.
• Tongs or something else you can get your jars out of the boiling water with.

How to Make (and water bath can) Strawberry Jam

Before you begin making your jam, you will need to prep your jars, mash up your strawberries, and measure out your sugar. I will write those preparations as part of the recipe steps.

• Step 1: Wash eight 8oz jars and rings in hot, soapy water and rinse. After cleaning the jars, keep them in hot water until your are ready to use them.
  • Keeping the jars warm before filling them prevents thermal shock, which will break the jars. I boiled some water before I washed the jars, and then when I was done washing them, I emptied the soapy water from the sink and filled it with the boiling water for the jars to sit in while I made the jam. I wound up having to add more hot water so that the jars were covered.
• Step 2: Prep the strawberries by mashing them with a potato masher or other tool. You could also pulse them in a food processor, but you want to make sure you have chunks of strawberry left, not a puree. You will need 5 total cups of mashed strawberries (which is about 2 qt of whole strawberries).
• Step 3: In a separate bowl, measure out 7 cups of sugar and set it aside. You will need to add all of the sugar at once, so you have to measure it beforehand.
• Step 4: In a large pot, add 5 cups of mashed strawberries, 1 box of Sure-Jell (make sure it’s the original), and 1/2 tsp of butter. Stirring constantly, bring this mixture to a rolling boil. That means that it is still bubbling and boiling as you stir.
• Step 5: Add in all of the sugar and keep stirring constantly. Bring the mixture back up to a rolling boil, and then let boil for 1 minute.
• Step 6: Take the mixture off of the heat. If there is any foam, you can skim it off the top with a metal spoon.
• Step 7: Get your prepared jars and make sure there is no water left inside. Ladle jam into the jars, leaving 1/4-1/2 inch of room at the top.
• Step 8: Wipe off the rims and threads of the jars to ensure there is no jam residue, and then place lids on top and tightly screw the rings onto the jars.
• Step 9: Place the jars into a large pot with a rack at the bottom (I used my 7qt dutch oven and unused jar rings at the bottom for my rack) and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil.
• Step 10: Once the water is boiling, let it boil for 10 minutes, and then remove the jars and place them upright on a towel to cool.
• Step 11: After the jars have cooled completely, check to make sure they sealed properly. If the lids can push in and spring back, they are not sealed and you will need to store the jam in the fridge.
• Step 12: Wait 12-24 hours before opening your jam to use, and store in the fridge once opened. Enjoy (perhaps on some freshly made biscuits 😉)!

If you do not want to can your jam, you do not have to do so. You can simply put the jam in jars, let them cool open, and then close the jars and store them in the fridge. However, the jam will only last 2-3 weeks this way, and this recipe makes quite a bit of jam to try to eat it all within that timeframe.

Questions You May Have

What if I have more jam than will fit in the eight 8oz jars?

You can prep a couple extra jars just in case, so that you have enough prepared jars for all of your jam. Or, you can put any remaining jam into a jar and not can it. That jam will just need to be used within a couple of weeks. I had some extra when I made mine, so I put it into different glass containers that I already had and refrigerate it.

Can I make this jam sugar free or with a sugar substitute?

Short answer – no. This recipe has to have real sugar. Sure-Jell does make a different pectin product that can be used with no sugar added or sugar substitutes, but the measurements will be different. If you want to make a less sugar version of the jam, you can get that product and it should tell you on the box what measurements of fruit and sugar substitute to use.

After canning my jam, how long will it last?

Guidelines from the National Center for Home Food Preservation suggest that for best quality jam be used within a year of canning. You can read more about that here if you would like the specifics. Once your canned jam is opened, it is recommended to be used within a month.

What are some ways I can use strawberry jam?

As pictured in this blog, you can definitely have it on toast. Or, a freshly made biscuit. I have a great biscuit recipe posted here. Some other ideas could be in a jelly roll, with charcuterie, in a PB&J, swirled in a cheesecake, or on top of some pancakes.