Old School Strawberry Jam.

Old School Strawberry Jam (No Added Pectin)

What could be more so than proportions or methods followed since sugar became a staple for the common man as well as for the rich?  - Putting Food By (5th Edition)

 

When jams were first made store bought pectin had yet to be invented.  You may be wondering why pectin even came into use – well, you see pectin allowed for an increase in the size of batches, a decrease in the amount of time it took to prepare, and all but eliminated the question of whether or not your jelly would gel.  However, like many of our time saving food products there is a catch – the use of pectin requires much more sweetening than the no pectin recipe.  Four cups of crushed berries to 4 cups of sugar vs. with pectin which requires 2 cups of crushed berries and 4 cups of sugar.  However some lovely ladies on Instagram recommended Pomona’s Universal pectin which allows for less or no sugar use.  One even mentioned that you could substitute honey with this.  I have not had a chance to research this more, but I encourage you to google Pomona’s Universal pectin to learn more.

The following is my standard no pectin Strawberry Jam recipe which I got from Putting Food By (If you are serious about canning and preserving food this is a great resource book.)

It is very important to work in small batches when you are making jams and jellies.  If you choose to ignore that wisdom and double or triple your batch you will most likely be putting up a very nice berry sauce instead of a jam – I speak from experience.  The proportions are necessary for a good gel.  I work in small batches and then can everything together, this may or may not be the best method.  However, jams take 5 minutes in a water bath canner to seal, so I’m fairly confident that they are not going to spoil while they wait.  Just keep in mind that if you put a cold jar into boiling water or vice versa your jar may break, been there done that, and it is exciting, messy and downright frustrating.  The upside to working in small batches is that you can create boutique jams!  Try adding lavender, mint, or hot peppers to your next berry jam.

Old School Strawberry Jam

makes 4 to 5 half-pint jars

• 4 cups prepared crushed berries (about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 qts fresh)
• 4 cups sugar

Sort and wash and crush berries.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Measure pulp into a kettle, add an equal amount of sugar; over medium-high heat bring to boiling and, stirring constantly, cook until jam begins to thicken (but not as much as jelly).  Remove from heat, skim and stir a couple of minutes, then ladle into clean, hot 1/2 pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headroom.  Cap with two piece screw band lids.  Process in Boiling Water Bath for 5 minutes after the canner returns to a full boil.  Remove jars. Cool.

 

Old School Strawberry Jam.