Monday, February 23, 2009

Strawberry Jam

I am at work right now...I needed something to keep me awake...coffee...still sleepy.

Blogging...sure way to keep my mind going...so here I am.

I was reviewing my old posts from my old kusina that I transferred here. Most of the posts then had recipes on geocities webpage that I tied up with my blog posts because photoblogging then was not yet "in" at the time. I (painstakingly) made separate webpages to show step-by-step photos of things I was doing then. I was quite surprised to find out I did make one for homemade strawberry jam, but which was not tied to a blog post. So I am making one for that now. Though strawberry season is quite far away...

I make strawberry jams whenever my MIL tells me she has had enough for her own use. My kids would pick them, we would eat some, and the rest I would make into strawberry jams. Strawberry jams and raspberry jams are our favorites. Very good on rolls, Club crackers, over cheesecake, etc. I have brought several jars of these for munchin during work, and my British and American co-workers loved my homemade jams. "Cannot compare with them commercial ones!"

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups mashed strawberries
1 box pectin (Her preference is Sure-Jell)
7 cups sugar
8 jars for canning

Instructions:

Boil water for sterilizing jars then let simmer until ready for sterilizing jars. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water.

Prepare strawberries by removing the stems and mashing thoroughly with fork. (I think you can also use chopper batch by batch.) Put in a big saucepan and heat to boil, constantly stirring while gradually adding the pectin until fully dissolved and bring to full rolling boil (A boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.Add 1/2 tsp butter or margarine to reduce foaming, if desired.

Stir in sugar quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil EXACTLY 1 MINUTE, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Pour quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads.

Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands TIGHTLY.Turn upside-down right away, then turn upright again after 5 minutes (This process is to ensure that minimal (unsterile) air is trapped, and that the hot jam will sterilize that space by inversion. Setting it upright after 5 minutes will ensure proper setting where the jam does not stick to the lid.)

Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. You may store unopened jams in cool, dry dark place up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jams up to 3 weeks.

You may use strawberry jams on rolls/bread, Ritz crackers or saltine crackers.

Note: Upon setting, if you are using a larger jar, you may notice separation of layers. Above is the jam with all the bits of strawberries, and below a clear layer, which is the jelly.

Also, after the strawberry season comes the raspberry. When picking, the stems easily detach from the ripe fruits. Wash the raspberries just before the procedure, then proceed as with the strawberry jam procedure.


Tips:

Freshly picked strawberries should be washed ONLY when you are ready to consume/use it, otherwise it will spoil easily.

Pick only red and plump strawberries. When picked too soon, it won't have a sweet taste.

When in full rolling boil, you may lessen the foaming by adding 1/2 tsp butter.

Follow closely the timing of pouring boiling water into the jars and of removing the water and of closing the jars with the lids. Also minimize the air incorporated in the jar. Leaving a small space for air will result in popping in of the lid when the jam cools down, a sign of successful technique to ensure sterile procedures.

Additional info on jams and jellies available at www.surejell.com .


5 comments:

Tangled Noodle said...

My MIL usually makes homemade jams (especially peach, my husband's favorite) but I've always wanted to do it myself. Your instructions are very easy to follow - and I didn't know about inverting the jar!

Manang said...

Hi battleajah,
I do TIGHTLY in jams because I do not process them in boiling water canner.
In dill pickles or tomatoes where I do process in boiling water canner because I do not pre-cook them, I do finger-tight only; meaning, I do not use the full force of my hand to screw the lids, just the force of my fingers. This is to ensure that when inside volume expands due to heat, there will be a way for the trapped air to escape easiliy. Then while you cool down the jars and the contents contract again to original volume, it creates vacuum which sucks in the lid, thereby making them pop in. If you do it tightly, the jars might even explode to release the extra pressure of expansion.

Manang said...

TN,
about inverting the jar, the reason I placed there was my own (not my MIL's); I just presumed that was the reason (and I think it is quite rational :) )

ellen said...

hi manang, can i use knox gelatin instead of pectin? are they the same or will it give the same result? thanks

ellen said...

hi manang, i found the pectin next to the knox gelatin. heheh and successful nman un jellies ko. i made strawberry jelly and plum jelly, now the prob is ang dami, i have to get rid of some, giving them away if me bumisita. but thanks for this recipe.

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