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6.17.2009

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Every Spring (or early Summer) for the past 6 years, I have made homemade strawberry jam with Kevin's mom. Kevin grew up with homemade jam & after we got married I started making some for us. We each make a year's supply of jam & some additional ones to give away as gifts.
Homemade Strawberry Jam is a perfect gift for a teacher or a hostess gift!
It 's easy to make your own homemade jam.
And, it tastes so much better than store bought jam.

Our favorite kind of jam is strawberry, so that is the only kind I make!
The girls and I headed over to my in-laws house so Jill & I could make the jam. I put Kate down for a nap there, but Claire stayed up to watch us make jam. She was very intrigued, crawled around the kitchen and watched us the entire time!
One batch makes about 80 ounces of jam.
We used 12 oz jars & filled about 6-7 jars per batch.
(Today, we made 5 batches so that we each had a year supply of jam & some extra jars to give as gifts)
Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam

Here is what you need (per batch):
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup light karo syrup
1 box pectin
4 cups of sugar
3 1/4 cups of pureed strawberries
**Note: Make sure you use ripe, freshly picked strawberries. We always get strawberries from Kevin's sister who lives in the Central Valley. Our strawberries came straight from the fields yesterday! The grocery store strawberries aren't as good to use because they don't have as much flavor. If you have a local fruit stand or farmer's market, get strawberries from them. Use grocery store strawberries as a last resort, they are usually not as sweet**
**Another Note: This recipe if for strawberry jam, if you prefer a different flavor of jam, the ratios of sugar & fruit will be different. Usually the package of pectin will tell you what measurements to use for other varieties of jam.**
Step 1:
Gather & Clean your jars.
For each batch, you need about 5 mason jars for canning. (Or, you can use old jam, hot fudge or other 6-8 oz glass jars. Just run them through the dishwasher & save them throughout the year)
Step 2:
Wash & trim the stems off the strawberries.

Step 3:
Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor. I puree about 1 cup at a time. There should be some chunks, you don't want your strawberries too liquidy or your jam won't turn out right.
(You need 3 1/4 cups of pureed strawberries per batch)
Step 4:
Put pureed strawberries into a pot with 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
Step 5:
Gradually stir in 1 box of pectin into the strawberries & lemon juice.
Set aside for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to dissolve pectin thoroughly.
Step 6:
After 30 minutes, stir in 1 cup of karo syrup (this prevents crystallization during the freezer storage)
Step 7:
Put pot on stove & turn burner on LOW. Gradually stir in 4 cups of sugar, stirring continuously until sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. (about 2-3 minutes). Don't let the mixture get too hot!
Step 8:
Pour into glass jars. Leave about 1/2 inch at the top for expansion during freezing.
Step 9:
After about 5 minutes, put lids on jars.
Step 10:
Every 3-4 hours, turn over the jars of jam so that all the fruit doesn't settle on the bottom. It will set after 24 hours, so put it in the freezer after it sets.
(Kate woke up just in time to help me organize my jars!)
Step 11:
Store jam in your freezer! It can stay in your freezer for 2 years!
When you are ready to use a jar of jam, defrost it in your fridge overnight & then keep refrigerated between uses. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. (We usually go through a jar a month since we eat a lot of PB&J sandwiches!)
Step 12:
If you want to give a jar of jam as a gift, you make it look "pretty" by adding some fabric, a ribbon & a little note card. Here is one that I have prettied up!
(since I can't sew, this is how I can use all the pretty fabric that I love)
This is a great hostess gift, teacher gift, or a "just because" gift!

Enjoy!

14 comments:

  1. First of all, that looks awesome! I had my first canning experience last fall :). Second... you CAN sew. I got my first machine for Christmas this year, because I was dying to learn. Through a combination of teaching myself through trial and error, and the millions of tutorials and techniques in blogland, I have come so far! I really encourage you to just go for it!!

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  2. Might I be one of the lucky friends who gets some of your jam this year? I LOVE your jam-and you too of course ;)

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  3. Awesome! I think I am going to try to make some. And the sewing thing...it is easy! If you can sew a straight line, you can make a quilt too. :)

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  4. I have been dying to make my own jam and your tutorial couldn't be more user-friendly. We're headed to the farmers market on Sunday-- I hope we find some delicious fresh strawberries!

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  5. Hello! Thanks so much for joining in this week :)

    Your jam looks just yummy - I've never made it before, but it definitely looks like something I should try.

    Hope to see you around more often!

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  6. So when are you coming down with a carful of central valley strawberries to do this for me? You can totally bring that cute strawberry outfit, Janey would look cute in it!!! Nothing like homemade jam. Might just have to do this! Beautiful and informative tutorial. Thanks so much!

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  7. I did it! My first batch turned out awesome. Thanks for making it look so easy with all your amazing photographs and super easy instructions. I can't wait to give a jar as a hostess gift at a BBQ we're going to on Saturday! :)

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  8. That looks so yummy! I will definetly be trying this next year.

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  9. Hubby just planted strawberry plants in the yard today. I sure hope I get to make some of your jam this summer from those plants. It looks heavenly!

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  10. Yummy! What a great creative idea and super yummy too! I love the pretty fabric you added to the jar for some added flair! Your daughter is just presh!

    Have a great weekend

    Summer :0)

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  11. What a fun post!! I love all the pictures!!

    Thanks for sharing! I love your blog!

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  12. I make Strawberry Freezer Jam every year, but have never tried to make it this way. I think I shall try this recipe this year and see how it works for me, Thanks for posting :)

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