Hi all! I am commandeering Sebastian's blog for today. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Ariel, and I am Sebastian's girlfriend. I came down to visit as he gets into major studying mode for his upcoming exams. So I've had a lot of time on my hands to be domestic. Last Sunday, we went strawberry picking. It was a gorgeous day and a really beautiful farm. We got a ton of berries.... and I simply didn't know how we would eat them all before they went bad. So in addition to making a yummy strawberry banana smoothie and delectable chocolate covered strawberries, I decided to try my hand at jam making. After all, how could I get much more domestic than that? It turned out quite well, so I thought I'd share with you, dear readers.
P.S It is MUCH easier to make jam than I thought it would be!!
- 6 cups crushed strawberries (instructions for crushing below)
- 4 cups sugar (divided 1/4 and 3-3/4 c)
- 1 box less sugar pectin (I used Sure-Jell Premium Fruit Pectin)
- Wide mouth funnel
- 8 half pint jars with lids and screw tops
Instructions
First you have to sanitize your jars. I used 8 half pint Ball jars. Throw them and the screw tops in a dishwasher without soap. Keep them in the warm steamy environment until you're ready to use them. The flat tops will go into hot water to be sanitized later.
Next crush the fruit. To do this, use a potato masher and crush till you get a pulpy mess. Put it into a large (4-8 quart) pot.
On high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, stirring CONSTANTLY. This means the bubbles won't go away when you stir them.
Heat up some water (not quite boiling) and add the jar tops to sanitize and soften up the rubbery surface. This will make a better suction.
Add the rest of the sugar (3-3/4 cups) to the pot. Return to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute. Remember to keep on stirring. It might take a little bit to get back to the rolling boil. This is fine. Remember, you just added a bunch of sugar to the mix.
Remove from the heat. There will be a lot of foam on the top. Scoop as much off as possible. Tip: Store the foam in a plastic container and refrigerate. You can reconstitute it in the microwave and enjoy as regular jam then.
Test to see if your jam is jelled enough. Take a spoon that was sitting in a glass of ice-water. Put a bit of jam on it and let it cool to room temperature. If it becomes the thickness you like, start filling your jars! If not boil for another minute.
Ladle the jam into your sanitized containers (straight from the dishwasher!) Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the tops. Mine filled up 7 full jars and about 3/4 of the eighth one. Tip: It will make your life a lot easier, and your kitchen a lot neater if you use a wide mouthed funnel to help you with this.
Put the lids on and screw tops down until they are hand tight. Place jars into a large pot of hot water, covering the jars with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a gentle boil and boil for 10 minutes. Take them out and place on a towel to cool. When the jars are cool, check to see if they are sealed properly. (Does the center of the lid spring back when you push on it? If so, place in fridge for immediate consumption. If not, you're golden and your jam will stay fresh for about a year.) Tip: Use tongs for this step! They will be VERY HOT.
Leave them set out at room temperature for 24 hours.
You are ready to enjoy! Once you open your jar, it will keep for about 3 weeks. If it stays sealed, it will stay about a year.
Sebastian and I have not cracked open a jar yet, but we ate up my container of foamy jam on some homemade crepes and it was delicious! I can't wait to pass out my homemade jam to family and friends.
Ambitious,almost like pioneer women. Good going kids. I made jam many years ago. I made it with Seville orange pulp for orange marmalade. The pulp came canned from Canada (Winnepeg). I guess bitter orange marmalade is a Commonwealth type of a thing. Later when we grew grapes, I made jelly from them. I did the same procedure as yours except my recipe did not call for the final boiling after the jars are filled and shut. I think the assumption was that the jam with so much sugar would be so hot that no further boiling would be needed to sterilize. They did seal and kept well after the jars were filled, capped shut and cooled. I do like your "belt and suspenders" approach though. A bit more sterilization can't hurt. When I lived in Hong Kong, the English ladies there used to make jam. Whenever mold would eventually develope on top, they would simply scraped off the mold plus a little more and the rest would be used. Sebastian's Scandinavian grandma (Emma) did the same. Jam making is a great way to preserve the flavors of summer. I guess winemaking is of the same theme. By the way, I just washed 40 bottles today. With another 40 that Ron will have washed, we will be ready to bottle 80 bottles of our 2010 vintage Chardonnay. Summer will continued to be bottled and jarred for future use and enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteYour MOM is a pulpy mess, Rosenburg. Boom.
ReplyDeleteThough I should admit that I'm fairly impressed here.
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