(no subject)
_req_ asked me about making strawberry jam, and urban_homestead saw this in my journal and asked me to post it here.
About Strawberry Jam
I've always canned my strawberry jam, but some people freeze theirs. Jam is made by cooking crushed or chopped fruits with sugar until the mixture will round up on a spoon. It must be made in small batches and cooked rapidly. Do not double a recipe for jam! When done, it should be firm but spreadable.
The easiest way to make jam is to add pectin to the fruit. Pectin is naturally found in fruits, but moreso in some than others. It is pectin that causes the mixture to gel. Underripe fruit generally contains more pectin than fully ripe fruit, and overripe fruit can cause your jam to be runny. Pectin is also concentrated in the peel and core, so sometimes those are included in cooking and then strained out afterward. Strawberries are naturally low in pectin. Apples are naturally high in pectin.
Recipes without added pectin require longer cooking times, which may cause a cooked flavor. I generally add commercial pectin to my strawberry jam, but I have also used the older method of longer cooking, as well as adding higher pectin fruit. Obviously, that changes the taste of the finished product.
The best results will be obtained by following the pectin manufacturer's directions, which are right on the packaging.
Sometimes lemon juice is added to increase acidity, which adds flavor and helps with gelling.
Sugar helps with gelling, serves as a preserving agent, and makes jam taste good.
Canning Info
Strawberry jam is canned using the boiling water bath method. You don't need a pressure canner, but you will want a large boiling-water canner with a rack. This, and all other supplies needed, can generally be found at WalMart. Other potential sources include Family Dollar, Dollar General, and KMart. You will also want to have on hand a supply of pot holders and kitchen towels, a small rubber spatula for removing air bubbles from filled jars, a potato masher, tongs (jar lifter) for removing jars from boiling water, a skimming ladle for removing the "scum" that floats to the surface of jams and jellies, a large cook's spoon for stirring the jam during cooking, measuring cups and spoons, home canning jars that are free of nicks and chips, two-piece caps for jars, a cutting board and knife, a lid wand for removing lids from hot water to place on filled jars, a colander for washing fruit, and a canning funnel to assist with filling jars.
Steps for Canning
Since you'll be following the pectin manufacturer's recipe and instructions for making the jam, I'll just cover the canning instructions.
I like to fill my canner half full with water and begin to heat it to just below boiling right at the beginning. That way there is no chance I'll have to wait for the water to heat when my jars are filled and ready to process.
Wash your jars and be sure they are free of nicks, cracks, uneven rims, etc.
Submerge jars in enough cold water to cover, and bring the water just to a boil. Then turn off the heat. Leave jars in hot water until ready to fill, at least ten minutes, but not long enough to get cold. A dishwasher can simplify the washing and heating of the jars if wash them just before use, and you just leave them in there until ready to fill, removing them one at a time. But I never had a dishwasher when I was canning.
If you will be processing for less than ten minutes, you'll need to sterilize the jars by leaving them submerged in boiling water for at least ten minutes (add one additional minute for each 1,000 feet elevation over the first 1,000 feet). I always sterilized my jars.
Remember that a sudden change of temperature can break glass jars.
Wash your caps in hot, soapy water. Rinse in hot water. Do not use abrasive cleaners or materials. Dry the bands thoroughly, but place the lids in a small saucepan covered with hot (not boiling) water.
Leave a 1/4" headspace in each jar when filling with jam. The headspace is the space in the jar between the inside of the lid and the top of the jam.
Remove air bubbles by running a small rubber or plastic spatula around the inside of the jar, between the food and the side of the jar. You should not omit this step just because you don't see air bubbles.
Clean the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth, place a lid on the jar rim with the sealing compound next to the glass, place a band over the lid, and screw it onto the jar just until the point of resistance is met. Do not use force.
Using a jar lifter, place filled jar into rack in canner. The rack will be held up above the hot water by placing the handles over the edge of the canner.
You must process immediately! I like to have my water already heated to just below the boiling point. Fill jars and cap them quickly, so you can get them into the hot water before they cool.
After all filled jars are in the rack, carefully lower it into the water. The water level must cover the jars and caps by 1 to 2 inches! Add boiling water if needed.
Put lid on canner, adjust heat to medium-high, and bring water to a hard-rolling boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle-rolling boil throughout the processing.
Set timer for required processing time.
When timer goes off, turn off heat and remove canner lid.
Using jar lifter, remove jars from canner and set them on a towel away from any drafts. Leave 1 to 2 inches between jars.
Allow to cool naturally for 12 to 24 hours before checking for a seal. Do not retighten nor remove bands.
After jars are completely cool, test lids for a good seal by pressing center of each lid to determine if it is concave. Remove band and try to gently lift lid off with your fingertips.
If a lid does not seal within 24 hours the product must be reprocessed or stored in the refrigerator and used within a few days. Reprocessing involves reheating the product, packing food into a clean, hot jar, and placing a new, heated lid on the jar. Then screw on the lid band and process again in the boiling water for the appropriate amount of time. (See your recipe.)
Remove bands prior to storing jars of food. Wipe jars to remove any food residue. Labe and date each jar. Store in a cool, dark location.
Still want a strawberry jam recipe? Maybe I can be persuaded to post an old-fashioned no-pectin strawberry jam recipe. ;-)
About Strawberry Jam
I've always canned my strawberry jam, but some people freeze theirs. Jam is made by cooking crushed or chopped fruits with sugar until the mixture will round up on a spoon. It must be made in small batches and cooked rapidly. Do not double a recipe for jam! When done, it should be firm but spreadable.
The easiest way to make jam is to add pectin to the fruit. Pectin is naturally found in fruits, but moreso in some than others. It is pectin that causes the mixture to gel. Underripe fruit generally contains more pectin than fully ripe fruit, and overripe fruit can cause your jam to be runny. Pectin is also concentrated in the peel and core, so sometimes those are included in cooking and then strained out afterward. Strawberries are naturally low in pectin. Apples are naturally high in pectin.
Recipes without added pectin require longer cooking times, which may cause a cooked flavor. I generally add commercial pectin to my strawberry jam, but I have also used the older method of longer cooking, as well as adding higher pectin fruit. Obviously, that changes the taste of the finished product.
The best results will be obtained by following the pectin manufacturer's directions, which are right on the packaging.
Sometimes lemon juice is added to increase acidity, which adds flavor and helps with gelling.
Sugar helps with gelling, serves as a preserving agent, and makes jam taste good.
Canning Info
Strawberry jam is canned using the boiling water bath method. You don't need a pressure canner, but you will want a large boiling-water canner with a rack. This, and all other supplies needed, can generally be found at WalMart. Other potential sources include Family Dollar, Dollar General, and KMart. You will also want to have on hand a supply of pot holders and kitchen towels, a small rubber spatula for removing air bubbles from filled jars, a potato masher, tongs (jar lifter) for removing jars from boiling water, a skimming ladle for removing the "scum" that floats to the surface of jams and jellies, a large cook's spoon for stirring the jam during cooking, measuring cups and spoons, home canning jars that are free of nicks and chips, two-piece caps for jars, a cutting board and knife, a lid wand for removing lids from hot water to place on filled jars, a colander for washing fruit, and a canning funnel to assist with filling jars.
Steps for Canning
Since you'll be following the pectin manufacturer's recipe and instructions for making the jam, I'll just cover the canning instructions.
I like to fill my canner half full with water and begin to heat it to just below boiling right at the beginning. That way there is no chance I'll have to wait for the water to heat when my jars are filled and ready to process.
Wash your jars and be sure they are free of nicks, cracks, uneven rims, etc.
Submerge jars in enough cold water to cover, and bring the water just to a boil. Then turn off the heat. Leave jars in hot water until ready to fill, at least ten minutes, but not long enough to get cold. A dishwasher can simplify the washing and heating of the jars if wash them just before use, and you just leave them in there until ready to fill, removing them one at a time. But I never had a dishwasher when I was canning.
If you will be processing for less than ten minutes, you'll need to sterilize the jars by leaving them submerged in boiling water for at least ten minutes (add one additional minute for each 1,000 feet elevation over the first 1,000 feet). I always sterilized my jars.
Remember that a sudden change of temperature can break glass jars.
Wash your caps in hot, soapy water. Rinse in hot water. Do not use abrasive cleaners or materials. Dry the bands thoroughly, but place the lids in a small saucepan covered with hot (not boiling) water.
Leave a 1/4" headspace in each jar when filling with jam. The headspace is the space in the jar between the inside of the lid and the top of the jam.
Remove air bubbles by running a small rubber or plastic spatula around the inside of the jar, between the food and the side of the jar. You should not omit this step just because you don't see air bubbles.
Clean the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth, place a lid on the jar rim with the sealing compound next to the glass, place a band over the lid, and screw it onto the jar just until the point of resistance is met. Do not use force.
Using a jar lifter, place filled jar into rack in canner. The rack will be held up above the hot water by placing the handles over the edge of the canner.
You must process immediately! I like to have my water already heated to just below the boiling point. Fill jars and cap them quickly, so you can get them into the hot water before they cool.
After all filled jars are in the rack, carefully lower it into the water. The water level must cover the jars and caps by 1 to 2 inches! Add boiling water if needed.
Put lid on canner, adjust heat to medium-high, and bring water to a hard-rolling boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle-rolling boil throughout the processing.
Set timer for required processing time.
When timer goes off, turn off heat and remove canner lid.
Using jar lifter, remove jars from canner and set them on a towel away from any drafts. Leave 1 to 2 inches between jars.
Allow to cool naturally for 12 to 24 hours before checking for a seal. Do not retighten nor remove bands.
After jars are completely cool, test lids for a good seal by pressing center of each lid to determine if it is concave. Remove band and try to gently lift lid off with your fingertips.
If a lid does not seal within 24 hours the product must be reprocessed or stored in the refrigerator and used within a few days. Reprocessing involves reheating the product, packing food into a clean, hot jar, and placing a new, heated lid on the jar. Then screw on the lid band and process again in the boiling water for the appropriate amount of time. (See your recipe.)
Remove bands prior to storing jars of food. Wipe jars to remove any food residue. Labe and date each jar. Store in a cool, dark location.
Still want a strawberry jam recipe? Maybe I can be persuaded to post an old-fashioned no-pectin strawberry jam recipe. ;-)