Strawberry project #4: Strawberry jam/preserves

 

The finale of the project ends with a yummy preserve to use up all the remaining strawberries. This recipe does not require pectin. The original recipe yields 5 cups, but you can always adjust the portions depending on how many strawberries you have. Believe it or not, the final product tastes just like Smucker's!

Ingredients:
2 lbs strawberries, hulled
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups granulated sugar

Steps:

1. In a large bowl crushed strawberries into chunks or use a food processor. Leaves some bigger chunks if you wish to add some texture to the jam. 
2. In a saucepan add lemon juice and sugar into the strawberry puree, stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
3. Turn heat to high, stir constantly until mixture reaches over 220 F degrees (105 C degrees) or thickens. (usually takes 40-60 minutes)
4. Sterile jars in hot boiling water, wipe clean before pouring in the preserve. Transfer to jars leaving 1/4-1/2 inches headspace. Seal the jars and process in a water bath for 15 minutes.
   
5. Cool down the preserve before refrigerate. Or you can serve right away. 

 
Tips:
*Make sure the mixture is thick enough before you transfer to the sterile jars
*The fresh preserves will be a bit runny when it's still hot. The texture will slowly thickens as it cools down
*The longer you cook, the thicker it becomes. Adjust the thickness for your own preference