It took me years to realize that ball jars are used for more than just decoration– who knew? Each year I bring my kids strawberry picking, I think, “This is the year I learn how to make strawberry jam!” And then we eat the strawberries and it doesn’t happen.
Why have I gone years without actually making strawberry jam? Honestly, I was intimidated! But I figured it’d be a fun parent/child activity and I can’t be a chicken in front of my kids over jam!
“What’s the worst that can happen right? IT’S JUST JAM!” At least, that’s what I told myself, over and over….
So, we went strawberry picking. Once again, I was reminded how beautiful and amazing Mother Nature is!
It was a good thing I planned to pick more than we could eat fresh because we picked a lot! But, we had a lot of fun! Approximately $50 of berry-picking fun.
Note: I had NO CLUE how many to pick for the recipe. I just knew I had to pick a lot. So, the kids helped me pick 3 big buckets full!
I asked some jam jarring friends for advice and bought the following items in advance:
- Pack of 8-oz Ball Glass Mason Jars with Lid and Band
- 3-piece Ball Canning Utensil Set (Jar funnel, Jar lifter, Bubble remover)
- Sure-Jell Premium Fruit Pectin
- Bag of sugar
- Lemon juice (I got concentrate; no squeezing lemons for me!)
After a few deep breaths, I got to work.
Step 1: Clean strawberries. Since I had no clue what I was doing, I also took extra time to cut them up. Rookie mistake.
Step 2: Sterilize the jars and lids and bands in water on stove. This is important for long-term storing! It takes a LONG time for the large pot to boil so I did this right away. The recipe said they should be in boiling water for at least 10 minutes to sterilize.
CAUTION: Don’t make the water too hot/full, rolling boil. Apparently the glass can crack.
Step 3: Create the “prepared juice” that the recipe calls for. Again, should’ve used a blender or food processor, but no, I chose to use a pie cutter? Another rookie mistake. <facepalm>
Step 4: Measure and mix ingredients, according to recipe. Put on stovetop to a rolling boil.
Note: Did you know there was THAT MUCH SUGAR in jam? No wonder kids love PB&J!
Step 5: When jam was almost done, I removed the jars and lids from the water with the jar lifter and dried them off. Careful, it’s hot!
Step 6: Take jam off the stove. Skim off as much foam from the top as you can. I used the bubble remover, which I thought was for foam skimming. <face palm>
Step 7: Scoop hot jam into the sanitized (still hot) mason jars until it’s about 1/4 inch from the top. This is where the funnel was clutch!
Step 8: Wipe off any jam that got on the top of sides of the jars. Apparently this is what “wipe jar rims and threads” meant in the recipe– that was a thinker for me.
Step 9: Tightly screw lids and bands on jars.
Step 10: Put sealed jars of jam in the large pot on an elevated rack with water at least 1 inch above lids. Bring the water to gentle boil. Fun fact: I didn’t know what a “gentle” boil is. I equated it to when small bubbles appear.
If you don’t have a canning rack, some said to put a flat dishtowel on the bottom. I used the rack from my InstantPot. Whatever works to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot and the jars from rattling against each other.
Step 11: Let boil according to your recipe’s instructions.
Step 12: Take jars out of boiling water, place on a cooling rack. Don’t touch them for a long time. Keep fingers crossed that you hear a “ping” sound, which is the center of the lid sealing.
Step 13: After cooling, press the center of the lids with your finger– if the lid springs back, it is not sealed so put it in the fridge. If it is sealed, store unopened in a cool, dark place.
Later, I realized I don’t need lemon juice for strawberries, but they’re needed for some recipes. I had enough berries to make a second batch (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) and used lemon juice for those.
Final analysis: Making jam is not easy but it can be fun with the right people (and tools). Luckily all 7 of my jars pinged! Following the recipe is key! And homemade jam tastes delicious!!
I hope my journey (and rookie mistakes) make your first time making strawberry jam go smoothly. Good luck and I hope your jars ping!
Strawberry Jam
Equipment
- 1 cup dry measuring cup
- large saucepan
- ladle
- jar funnel
- 2 large bowls, 1 small bowl
- mason jars, lids and ring seals (sanitized and warm)
- canning rack and canner or large pot with lid and elevated rack
- cooling rack
- jar lifter
Ingredients
- 6 cups crushed strawberries
- 4 cups sugar
- 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine optional
- 1 package SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin 1.75 oz
Instructions
- Wash and prepare strawberries, discarding the stems.
- Measure 6 cups of crushed strawberries into a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, measure the exact amount of sugar into a large bowl. DO NOT REDUCE THE SUGAR IN THE RECIPE SINCE THAT WILL RESULT IN SET FAILURES!
- Into a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar from the measured amount and 1 package of SURE-JELL fruit pectin.
- Stir sugar/SURE-JELL mixture into the bowl of crushed strawberries. Add butter or margarine if desired to reduce foaming.
- Put strawberry mixture into a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
- Stir in remaining sugar. Return to full rolling boil. Boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.
- Using the jar funnel, ladle the jam immediately into warm, sanitized jars, filling them to within 1/4 inch of the top. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with the two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly.
- Place jars on an elevated rack in canner then lower rack into canner. Or, use jar lifters to place jars onto an elevated rack in large pot of water. (Water must cover jar tops by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water if needed.) Cover; bring water to a gentle boil.
- Let jam jars gentle boil for 10 minutes, adjusting processing time if necessary for altitude.
- Use jar lifters to remove jars and place upright onto a cooling rack or towel to cool completely.
- After jars cool, check seals by pressing the center of each lid with a finger. If the lid springs back up, it is not sealed and needs refrigeration.
nanniecheeseman says
Hi! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers
and starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!
Debbie says
Thank you so much for reading and the compliment. Best of luck to you.