This is the season for fresh strawberries and while they are ripe and ready to eat by themselves, it is also the best time to make homemade jam. Amazingly easy to make and not at all time consuming, this straight forward recipe takes the fear out of preserving. Pectin is a natural ingredient in fruits and when an acid such as lemon juice and a sweetener like sugar are added and heated, they react with one another and create a jelly-like consistency. The trick is to find the right balance between the ingredients so they react accordingly. When cooking fruit, it really is important to watch your pot and make adjustments as it cooks. Test the consistency, watch that it doesn’t over cook and don’t be afraid to make a mistake. If your jam doesn’t set you can always use it as a dessert sauce.
A very helpful website that I use to guide me through the process is pick your own and the national center for home preserving they both have loads of information both technical and easy reference that can answer any question you may have.
Pectin and Acid Content of Common Fruits Used to Make Jams and Jellies
| Group I: | If not overripe, it usually has enough natural pectin and acid for gel formation with only added sugar. | |
| Group II: | Low in natural acid or pectin, and may need addition of either acid or pectin. | |
| Group III: | Always needs added acid, pectin or both. |
| Group I | Group II | Group III |
| Apples, sour Blackberries, sour Crabapples Cranberries Currants Gooseberries Grapes (Eastern Concord) Lemons Loganberries Plums (not Italian) Quinces Raspberries Citrus skins (oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons, limes, etc. – the pectin is high in the skin but low in the fruit) |
Apples, ripe Blackberries, ripe Cherries, sour Chokecherries Elderberries Grapes (California, and all other than Concord) Loquats |
Apricots Blueberries Cherries, sweet Figs Grapes (Western Concord) Grape Juice, bottled Grapefruit Guavas Nectarines Peaches Pears Plums (Italian) Oranges Pomegranates Strawberries |
Read more at http://www.pickyourown.org/pectin.htm#pectinconc#zoQUXsSq3m3Ms0Mp.99
strawberry jam
12 oz jam
Ingredients
1 pound hulled strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1 granny smith apple, grated with skin on
Instructions
In a heavy bottomed pot place hulled and quartered strawberries.
Add the sugar, lemon juice and grated granny smith apple.
Smash all of the ingredients with a potato masher until strawberries are in small bits.
Cook over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves stirring to blend all ingredients.
Boil for 20 min removing any white foam that may come to the surface.
Test for consistency 20 minutes after it has cooked by placing a spoonful on a plate and dragging your finger through the center. The jam shouldn’t be liquid but rather close to a jam consistency. You may need to cook the jam 5 min longer. Make sure you don’t burn the bottom, pay attention as it cooks and note you can always remove it from the flame and it will continue to cook until desired consistency is reached.
thoughts
Remember the consistency can vary depending on the fruit. Making preserves with other types of fruits or a mixture of fruits can be just as easy and experimenting always leaves room for having fun.
For more inspiration, this is a terrific web site for jars and helpful tips. http://www.freshpreserving.com/