Making Scrupmtious Strawberry Jam

There is something scrumptious about homemade jam...so delectable and made with love!  This batch is especially sweet because Jessi, Liam and I made it together (click on this link to read more about it), but I didn't give you the recipe and this jam recipe is just too good not to share:)

LJ&L's Scrumptious Strawberry Jam  
(that would be Lise, Jessi & Liam's Scrumptious Strawberry Jam)

Ingredients:

16 cups of fresh, cleaned, hulled and cut, strawberries, macerated (picked the same day is best)
6 cups granulated organic sugar
8 tablespoons powdered pectin
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

Macerate the strawberries by combining the strawberries and 2 cups of the sugar in a glass bowl. 

 

Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes until the sugar begins to draw the liquid out of the berries, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

The next day, begin by sterilizing your jars in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Leave them in the water until just before you are ready to use them (this will keep them warm and prevent the jars from breaking when you put the boiling jam into them).

Combine the macerated berries, the remaining 4 cups of sugar, the lemon juice & zest and pectin into a very large pot.  Having a really big pot is important...we spent a lot of time wiping up all the splatters that popped from our pot!

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat,

stirring frequently.

As the mixture heats, it will begin to expand and foam.  Keep stirring and be careful the pot doesn't overflow, also be aware of splatters as the mixture heats (as I stirred the pot, Jessi kept wiping up the splatters...we laughed together when said she didn't think it would be easy to make jam alone). 

Once boiling, continue to cook on high heat, stirring regularly for 15 to 20 minutes, until it takes on a thick, syrupy consistency. Use an immersion blender to puree some of the mixture to the consistency you want (you can use a blender if needed; puree about 1/3 of the jam). 

Keep the jam boiling until it slides off the spoon in a sheet rather than drips, or reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. 

Remove the sterilized jars from the pot and then remove the jam pot from the heat.

Ladle the jam into the jars, clean the rim and place the lid and ring onto the jar.

Place the filled jam jars into a boiling water bath for 10 minutes to process, then remove them with a jar lifter or tongs.

Set the jars in a draft free area to cool, making sure the jars are not touching.  You will know your jars have sealed properly when you hear the delightful popping sound, you will also see the center of the lids indent.  Let the jars cool for 24 hours, and check each seal by removing the band and grasping the jar by the edge of the lid, lifting gently an inch or two off the towel-covered counter top. The lid should hold; if it doesn't, refrigerate that jam and use it within two weeks. The jam will store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.

 Scrumptious and really worth the effort...made with love!

Visit Flour Me With Love and Homestead Barn  Hop #116 for more recipe and homesteading posts.

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise