Strawberry Jam Recipe

Enjoy the pleasures of summer fruit year round by following this simple strawberry jam recipe. Making homemade strawberry jam is easy and requires fresh strawberries and few common ingredients. The process of making strawberry jam is smoother if you use the proper tools. Always use a canning kit that includes a canning pot, canning rack, funnel, jar lifter, and tongs along with canning jars and lids.

To make strawberry jam, you will need:

• 5½ cups crushed strawberries (about 3 quart boxes)
• 1 package powdered pectin
• 8 cups sugar
• 10 canning jars with lid
• Canning kit

1. Sterilize the canning jars. Wash the canning jars the dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water and rinse. Place the canning rack in the canning pot and put the canning jars upright in the rack. Fill the jars and the pot with hot tap water covering the jars with one inch of water. Place the canning pot over a high heat and bring the water to a full boil for ten minutes. Place the lids in a small saucepan, fill with water, and boil over a high heat for ten minutes. Shut off the heat but leave the jars and lids soaking in the hot water until the moment you fill them with strawberry jam.
2. Prepare the strawberries. Sort through the strawberries by hand and remove any brown or damaged strawberries. Remove stems and leaves from the strawberries. Wash in running water and drain in a colander. Cut the strawberries in half and place the halves in a gallon plastic zip bag. Force out the excess air and seal the bag. Roll over the bag with a rolling pin to crush. Another way to crush the strawberries is to blend them on high in a blender.
3. Cook the strawberry jam. Measure 5 ½ cups of crushed strawberries into a large pot. Add the powdered pectin, mix thoroughly, and bring to a full boil over a high heat. Mix in the sugar and bring to a full boil again while stirring constantly. Boil for one minute longer.
4. Fill the jars with strawberry jam. Use a jar lifter to remove the first jar. Dump the water from the jar back into the canning pot. Use a funnel to fill the jar but leave ¼ inch headspace from the rim. Wipe the rim clean with a clean damp paper towel. Tighten a sterilized lid onto the filled jar. Place the filled jar back in the canning rack in the hot water. Repeat until all the jars are filled with strawberry jam.
5. Process the strawberry jam. Place the canning pot filled with water and jars of strawberry jam over a high heat and bring to a boil for ten full minutes to process. Turn the heat off and cool the canning pot for ten minutes before removing each jar of strawberry jam and placing on a cooling rack. Store the cooled jars of strawberry jam in a cool dark place.

Tips and Warnings:

• A full boil means the mixture is bubbling over the entire surface.

• Never stop stirring the strawberry jam during the cooking process to avoid scorching the jam and ruining it.