<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re inundated with a glut of home-grown strawberries or just fancy giving jam making a go, this jam recipe is easy and delicious.
\nStrawberries are a naturally low-pectin fruit, meaning usually you\u2019re told to add pectin (or to use jam sugar which contains pectin) as this is required to get the jam to thicken and \u2018set\u2019 into a spreadable form. However, I\u2019ll show you today how to make strawberry jam without needing to add pectin! All you need are strawberries, lemon and sugar.
\nLemons are naturally high in pectin so adding a wedge to the pot as the jam boils draws that pectin out, helping our jam to set. We also add a bit of lemon juice which reduces the pH of the jam (i.e. makes it more acidic) which helps preserve the jam. I usually find supermarket strawberry jam is too sweet\/not sharp enough so having this homemade strawberry jam as been incredible as I add a little extra lemon juice than necessary to give it that moreish tartness. If you prefer it to be less tart, just reduce the lemon juice slightly.
\nAs I prefer a more fruit-forward jam, I use the lowest % of sugar I can get away with, doing 50% the weight of fruit in sugar (e.g. 600g fruit to 300g sugar). This gives us a lovely strawberry-heavy flavour that is lower in sugar than standard strawberry jam, but has enough sugar to be stable at room temperature (as long as it\u2019s in a sterilised & sealed jar, that is!).
\nThe recipe card is directly below but if you\u2019re a newbie to making jam I encourage you to scroll to just under the card as I have step-by-step images there. It can be a little daunting trying to figure out when jam is cooked enough so I find it\u2019s helpful to show what to look for at different points so you know you\u2019re on the right track. This will also help you not overcook your jam which can lead to it losing that fresh flavour and becoming too thick.
\nOther jam recipes:<\/p>\n
600 g strawberries (fresh or frozen)300 g granulated sugar1\/4 lemon3 to 4 tbsp lemon juice
\nIf the berries are frozen, add to a large pot at room temperature. If fresh, hull and quarter the strawberries then add to a large pot. NB: Choose a pot which leaves you plenty of room above the berries; jam bubbles up as it cooks so you need some headroom to prevent it overflowing!600 g strawberriesAdd the sugar and wedge of lemon to the pot of strawberries. Stir together and leave to sit for at least 30 minutes (or even overnight in the fridge for the best result!)- you’re looking for the berries to be swimming in juice and for all\/most of the sugar to have been dissolved. This helps kick-start the jam-making process and gives you a really nice combo of juicy jam with fruity chunks in the finished product.300 g granulated sugar, 1\/4 lemonAdd the lemon juice (use more if you prefer a sharper jam) and mash the berries by hand, squishing them in the pot. Mash to the size that you’d like the fruit to be in the final jam. If you prefer a completely smooth jam, use a hand blender to blitz until smooth (careful to avoid blending the lemon wedge!).3 to 4 tbsp lemon juicePlace a small plate in the freezer before you start cooking the jam, you’ll use this for the ‘wrinkle test’ later.Sterilise your jars: Thoroughly clean your jam jars and lids inside and out with hot soapy water. Place the jars upside-down on a baking tray and into a 180\u00b0C oven to dry out (around 10-15 minutes). It’s good to start this just before you make your jam so the jars are still hot when you add the jam!Cook the fruit over a medium heat on the stove, stirring often to prevent the jam catching and burning on the base of the pot. Foam will form on the surface at first \u2013 if you want to have a super clear jam at the end, skim this off and discard. Otherwise ignore the foam (I do!), it’ll mostly subside but may make your jam slightly cloudy.After ~10-15 minutes, the foam will have subsided and the jam will look glossy with big shiny bubbles.The wrinkle test: to test if the jam is ready, take that small plate out of the freezer and place a small amount of jam onto it. Let it sit for ~10 seconds then push your finger through it. It should have a gently wrinkled appearance on its surface as you push your finger through (see pics in blog post below). It can be kind of subtle so you can also check if the jam runs together after you’ve pushed your finger through it \u2013 if a line remains, your jam is ready! If the line disappears and\/or there’s no wrinkle, keep cooking the jam for a few minutes longer and test again the same way.Once you’re happy with the texture of the jam, remove the wedge of lemon then pour the hot jam into the hot jam jars, leaving about 1-2cm of headroom at the top of the jars. Screw on the lids and set upside-down on a baking tray to cool. Once cool, turn right side up and store somewhere cool and dark for up to 1 year.<\/p>\n
How to make strawberry jam \u2013 step-by-step images:<\/p>\n
6. The Wrinkle Test: to test if the jam has been adequately cooked \u2013 place a small plate into the freezer for a couple of minutes so it can cool down. Place a small amount of jam onto the plate, let it sit for ~10 seconds, then push your finger through it. It should (A) have a wrinkled appearance on its surface as you push your finger through and (B) should form a line which stays in the jam (i.e. the jam doesn\u2019t fill in the line).<\/p>\n
7. Sterilise the jars<\/p>\n
8. Pour the hot jam into the sterilised jars (make sure you fill it most of the way up, leaving only a small air gap). Screw on the lids and leave upside-down to cool. <\/p>\n
FAQs
\nDoes strawberry jam need pectin?
\nPectin is a long-chain soluble fibre which is present in all fruit and veg (it makes up part of plant cell walls!). When making jam, boiling the fruit with sugar releases the pectin which then helps to thicken the jam. As the jam cools, the pectin \u2018sets\u2019, a bit like how gelatine makes fruit jelly \u2018set\u2019. Strawberries are a low-pectin fruit meaning that if you simply boiled up strawberries and plain sugar, your jam probably wouldn\u2019t set properly. Some strawberry jams (especially commercial ones) will combat this by adding granulated\/liquid pectin which has been extracted from fruits.
\nMaking strawberry jam without needing pectin
\nWe can bypass the need for buying granulated\/liquid pectin by including a wedge of lemon in the jam as it boils. Citrus fruits are really high in pectin (especially in the white pith of the fruits), so including them in your jam is a natural, easy way to include some extra pectin in the jam. Just remember to remove the lemon wedge before jarring your jam!<\/p>\n
Why is my strawberry jam runny?
\nThis is most likely down to not cooking the jam for long enough. If the jam is undercooked, the pectin won\u2019t have become \u2018activated\u2019, plus the jam may not have reduced enough, so your jam won\u2019t set. It\u2019s a particular pressure point for strawberry jam as strawberries are low in pectin.
\nAnother thing to note is that the jam will be runny when it\u2019s hot, even when it\u2019s been properly cooked. As the jam cools down, it will thicken up and set.
\nYou may find that homemade strawberry jam is just runnier than what you\u2019re used to getting from the supermarket as they usually add extra pectin. If this is something that bothers you then switch or jam sugar or add liquid\/granulated pectin (e.g. Certo), using the directions on the packet to guide you in how much to add.
\nHow much sugar do you need to make strawberry jam?
\nGenerally when making jams, you can go with between 40 to 100% the weight of fruit in sugar. Supermarket jams and more traditional recipes (ike this one by Mary Berry) are usually using 100% the weight of fruit in sugar (i.e. equal weights of each).
\nI tend to find these too sweet and that the flavour of the fruit gets a bit lost so I like to use as little sugar as possible. Lower pectin fruits tend to need a bit more sugar so I go with 50% sugar to fruit (which is the same ratio that Jamie Oliver uses). So for this recipe, I use 600g fruit to 300g sugar. This means your jam may be slightly less thick than what you\u2019re used to buying (especially as we\u2019re not using jam sugar), so just be aware that this is a consequence of having a fruitier jam.
\nDoes strawberry jam need to be refrigerated?
\nAs long as your jars are properly sterilised and sealed, you shouldn\u2019t need to refrigerate un-opened jars of jam. Once a jar has been opened, you should store it in the fridge otherwise it may become mouldy.
\nCan strawberry jam be made with frozen strawberries?
\nYes! This is a great idea for when strawberries are out-of-season as frozen fruit is usually picked and frozen when it\u2019s in season (meaning it\u2019ll taste better and probably be cheaper than buying out-of-season, fresh berries).
\nI just let the strawberries defrost as they\u2019re macerating with the sugar.
\nDo I need to skim the foam from my jam?
\nAs you cook your strawberry jam you may notice foam forming on the top. Many recipes will tell you to skim this off and discard it. Now, you can do this and it\u2019ll help to make your jam clearer. However, I think it\u2019s basically a waste of time and a waste of jam! I just let it keep boiling and most of the foam subsides. You\u2019ll probably have a bit of it left when you\u2019re jarring the jam but all it does is make your jam look a bit more opaque. Some recipes, like this one by Delia, also swear by adding a little bit of butter to the jam to eliminate the foam. You can do this and it does help, but it means the jam is no longer vegan and may have a slightly altered flavour.
\nUses for strawberry jam<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Whether you\u2019re inundated with a glut of home-grown strawberries or just fancy giving jam making a go, this jam recipe is easy and delicious. Strawberries are a naturally low-pectin fruit, meaning usually you\u2019re told to add pectin (or to use jam sugar which contains pectin) as this is required to get the jam to thicken […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-129","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-food"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}