Spiced strawberry jam, a visual tutorial!


I love making jam. It's one of those soothing kinds of kitchen processes that make me smile--not the least because I love the rows of jewel colored jars on my shelf, giving me a bit of out of season deliciousness when I want it. What I have found, in my many jam adventures, is that I do not care for jams made with added pectin. There's something about the consistency that just doesn't feel right. Sure, doing it the 'old fashioned way' may take a bit longer, but for me, it's worth it. I don't know anyone else in my peer group that routinely cans jams, though a few make freezer/fridge jams that are just divine. So, I thought I'd put together an example of what I do to make jam, using some glorious in-season local strawberries.

Hope you enjoy!



Here's my stove setup, with the necessary objects.


Inside the black canner is a rack that's used to lift the jars in and out. You'll see that below. What's not pictured, obviously, are the cans themselves. I use the glass half-pint ball jars with reusable lid rings. To prepare the jars, either sterilize them in the dishwasher or boil for ten minutes in your boil water canner. The rings are just washed in hot water, but the lids are soaked in boiling water and allowed to cool, still submerged, until you are ready to use them. NOTE: lids are single use only. While you can use jars and rings for an eternity, more-or-less, new lids must be purchased for each batch.

Cutting up the strawberries. Don't they look luscious? I ate about a basket worth while I was cutting.


To make four and a half half-pint jars of strawberry jam you will need six cups of strawberries, four cups of sugar and the juice of one lemon. Slightly smash a few of the strawberry bits with the potato masher to make a bit more 'juice', but I like leaving the strawberries mostly intact for a very chunky jam.


To make four and a half half-pint jars of spiced strawberry jam you will need six cups of strawberries, four cups of sugar, 1 inch knob of fresh ginger microplane grated, the insides of three cardamom pods, three vanilla beans, sliced lengthwise but otherwise left intact, and the juice of one lemon.


The general process of making jam is add fruit to your non-reactive cook pot with enough water (1/2 cup or so) so it doesn't burn and cook until the fruit begins to soften. Add the sugar, stirring to prevent sticking and burning.


Cook on med at a simmer until the candy thermometer, if using, reaches ~220 degrees.


If you don't have a candy thermometer, use the drip test. Keep a pair or so of small plates in your freezer. Test the jam by adding a dollop to a cold plate. If it does not run after waiting about ten seconds and tilting, your jam is ready to go. This will take about 30-40 minutes, depending on how juicy your fruit is. If you are lucky, you can enlist the help of your kitchen dog for quality control. My personal kitchen dog is Sprockets, an Irish wolfhound. She is a very helpful kitchen dog.


Fill your jars using sterilized funnel and ladle leaving about 1/4 inch at the top, making sure to wipe off the edges of the jars to make sure there's no sticky bits before adding the lid and ring. The ring does not need to be tight-tight, just snug. Place the jars in your boiling water canner and boil for five minutes. Pull out and cool on the counter overnight without moving. You should hear the lids 'pop'--that's how you know you have a good seal on your jar. If you do not hear them pop, just push on the lid. If the center of the lid is depressed, you're good to go.


Savor, and enjoy! But not before enlisting the help of your kitchen dog in cleaning up. MMmm, jam spoon.


If you have extra jam that only fills a partial jar, just slap on a lid and put it in the fridge. Eat it right away...with a spoon, on ice cream, on toast, in tea, or even between cake layers. Trust me, it won't last long!


Other people may have different ways of making jam, with or without pectin, so I'm certainly not saying that my way is the only right way. If people have questions, I'd be delighted to answer them!