Capture all the sweet flavor of summer’s strawberry bounty with this simple, traditional strawberry jam recipe. The recipe makes plenty of strawberry jam, so you’ve got plenty to eat and share.
Strawberry Jam Recipe
Yields about 8 pints
Ingredients
8 cups hulled strawberries (5 cups crushed strawberries; see recipe procedures, below)
7 cups sugar
1 1 3/4-ounce package powdered fruit pectin
Directions
Wash and sort the strawberries quickly in cold water; drain in a colander. Hull the strawberries, using a strawberry huller.
Measure 8 cups hulled strawberries. in a flat-bottomed pan, crush the strawberries, 1/3 at a time, using a pastry blender.
Do not puree the strawberries; leave nice-sized pieces, which will be attractive in the jam. Place the crushed strawberries, with the juice, in a mixing bowl.
Measure 5 cups crushed strawberries, including the juice, and place in an 8-quart, heavy-bottomed, stainless steel kettle; set aside. Place the sugar in a large mixing bowl; set aside.
Drain hot, sterilized, half-pint jars, upside down, on a clean tea towel; let stand.
Add the pectin to the crushed strawberries in the kettle; stir well to combine. Over high heat, bring the strawberry mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Immediately add the sugar and return the strawberry mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring continuously. Boil the mixture at a rolling boil exactly 1 minute (use a timer), stirring constantly. Immediately remove from the heat and skim the foam off the strawberry jam, using tableware tablespoons and teaspoons.
Using a 1-cup measuring cup with a pouring spout, quickly pour the hot jam into the drained jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims and threads. Place hot, metal lids on the jars and screw the bands firmly.
Process in a boiling-water canner for the time shown in the processing times chart at the end of this recipe.
Remove the jars from the canner and place them on a dry, wooden board that has been covered with a tea towel. Let the jars stand, undisturbed, 12 hours to cool completely.
Canning Processing Times
For Half-Pint Jar Sizes
Altitude of Canning Location
0 to 1,001 ft: 5 minutes
1,000 ft to 6,000 ft: 10 minutes
6,000 ft+ : 15 minutes
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Recipe courtesy of Blue Ribbon Country Canning Cookbook by Diane Roupe.
Photos by Erin Scott (Egg & Dart Press, 2013).