I'm a jam type of person. Any fruits made into jams, I generally like. I like jelly but prefer jam, especially when it comes to strawberry or blueberry. So after a successful jamming season last year, I decided to make some jam out of strawberries. We have some many different selections of strawberries in grocery stores and regional markets that we don't actually have to go to the farm and pick them ourselves. However, it was a fun thing to do, especially with the kids and I haven't gone in over 15 years.
Closer is always better when it comes to traveling to the farm, so we went to Navarino which is a lot more local then Abbott's in Baldwinsville. It was a very clean strawberry patch with straw between the rows and very little to none weeds. Little did I know that the strawberry season had started 3 weeks. The farmer even bragged that it was one of their better seasons.
I'm always a bit ambitious when it comes to picking berries and so we grabbed a whole flat with 6 quarts. Its been so long since my last strawberry picking, I forgot how meticulous of a job it is to spread each bush or lift up the branches to pick each individual berry. It's not like blueberries when you can grab a handful with each pass. My 3 year old gave up picking before we even got to the rows and my 6 year old surprising picked a quart-in-a-half. It was honestly difficult picking because it was later in the season and I had two kiddos that didn't really want to pick for very long. Total time picking 25 minutes!
We ended up stopping by the little store at the entrance and buying two more quarts just to have enough to make a reasonable amount of jam. There were many other little strawberry this and that temptations at the store that we had to fight.
A couple weeks ago, I did some research for strawberry jam recipes to make sure I was ready to go when we did end up going to the farm. Last year we learned that pectin and sugar are not "musts" in jam and could easily be substituted with other more natural ingredients. And quite honestly it doesn't complicate the recipe but acts as a substitute. For pectin a good replacement is lemon peels, orange juice or Granny Smith's apples. For sugar, honey is the best replacement, although you have to us a considerable amount of it.
The recipe that I used was from http://deliciouslyorganic.net/strawberry-jam/. It was different from the many that I read and it intrigued me the most.
First and foremost I washed the berries with a Young Living Thieves product that is specifically made for washing fruits and vegetables. I have seen my wife use this wash and can personally attest to seeing the wax that needs to be washed off or else we end up eating this chemical. This strawberries were probably not waxed because they were not from the store but other chemicals may have been sprayed during the growing process.
After they were washed, I ended up with 6 pounds of freshly picked berries. I did save a quart as well.
The ingredients were very simple: strawberries, light honey, Grand Marnier and Granny Smith apple. Check out the link above for detailed ingredients. I did have to ask what Grand Marnier was so I learned about a new type of liquor. I have plenty left for at least two more batches.
After the strawberries, honey and Grand Marnier came to a simmer in about 30 minutes, the most difficult part was getting it to reach 220 degrees Fahrenheit. It took be 2 hrs to reach 216 degrees and I called it. The berries appeared to be cooked through really well. The apple cubes were not longer visible because they took on the red color as well.
When making jam, I always use the sterilization technique for the jars. Its very simple and works really well. Wash the lids and jars in hot soapy water. Let them dry for a few minutes in the rack and place upside down in the oven. Once in the oven cook them at 200 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Its always a bit difficult to time when the jam will be done so that you can keep the jars and lids really hot. If your jars cool down there is the risk of cracking the glass when pouring a hot substance in. Once each jar is poured full immediately tighten lid. Please use two towels, one to hold the jar and the other to tighten the lid.
Amount of strawberries: 6 lb.
Net yield: 6 half pints and one pint of jam
After the jam and the jars cool overnight. I place them in the refrigerator until for the duration. Our blueberry jams lasted us 11 months without spoiling.
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