Yesterday was quite a blessed day for us. We were able to get about 10 lbs of free strawberries. Not all of them were in the best shape, but after I picked the trays, we had about 8 lbs left and the other "bad" two lbs went to the worms. After tasting the strawberries, I realized that they weren't at their peak yet, but still delicious. Well, with 8 lbs of tart strawberries, I had to make homemade jam as my family loves it! So, today I was off to the store to get some mason jars and pectin. I also added 2 pints of blueberries that I had previously frozen to half the batch. Since I had so much, I decided to try to can them for the first time. I don't have most of the canning equipment, but I improvised and got the job done. The jams are DELICIOUS! I have eight 1 pint bottles of jam now and I have a feeling they will be gone in about 6 months, if not sooner.Here is the recipe I used:
Ingredients: 4 cups mashed berries abt 2 lbs.
2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 pkt pectin* You can put the whole pkt in but I decided to split it because I only had one pkt.
Directions
In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil for about 10-12 mins, stirring often. Add pectin and boil for 1 minute. Take off heat and transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.
Most recipes call for a lot more sugar but I opted for less sugar since there are some diabetics in my family. I canned approximately 9 pints of jam. It is delicious and my family loves it. Give me more reason to make homemade biscuits now. :)
 |
| Started off with two boxes like these |
 |
| Washed and separated |
 |
| I set aside a basket aside to eat fresh. |
 | ||||||||||
| I used the food processor to chop all the strawberries :) |
I had a ton of fun making the jam! I added blueberries to the second batch and now I have a few bottles with both strawberries and blueberries. I am so proud of myself too. All the bottles sealed nicely and now I have about 6 months supply of jam! I hope ya'll try this recipe. :)
I love making Jams! I make so many kinds! Im looking forward to start my jam making soon!
ReplyDeleteAlso their is a Master canning class tomorrow night Wednesday may 18, its all about cherries and strawberries. I will be attending! Are you interested in going. My email is 4bratz2luv@gmail.com maybe we can meet up their!
ReplyDeleteHey Jenn! I love making jam too and want to try all sorts of fruits. :-) unfortunately ive been sick and won't be able to make it to the canning class. I wish I could've! Thanks for letting me know. :-) maybe you can post up some of your recipes for me to try. :-)
ReplyDeleteRomi. sounds good, sorry you are not feeling well. They have a canning class every month.I will keep you posted. I did send you a friend request on facebook. I hope that was ok. I have some recipes on my blog. But will be posting more soon. I enjoy reading your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenn. I accepted the request on FB already :) I hope to join you for one of those classes. I'll have to check out the recipes on your blog. I love reading your blog as well. Makes me happy :)
ReplyDelete