Strawberry Jam Tutorial

Strawberry Jam:

You will need:
-6 cups mashed strawberries
-4 cups sugar
-1 box Sure Jell pectin
-Parafin wax to seal jars
-Approx. 10 half-pint canning jars with lids

Instructions:

First, wash & clean the strawberries.  I like to use the strawberry top-remover thing.

Then, mash the berries. You will want 6 cups of berries after they are mashed. I like to leave chunks in mine.

In the meantime, boil a big pot of water filled with jars for the jam. We usually put 11-12 jars in just in case we fill up more than expected.

In another pot, using a double boiler, heat up some of the parafin wax.

And finally, in another pot, prepare the lids.

Place the 6 cups of mashed berries in a pot.  

Measure out 4 cups of sugar into a bowl. Remove 1/4 cup of the sugar and mix with the Sure Jell pectin packet. Stir the pectin/sugar mixture into the pot with the fruit in it.

Bring berries (and sugar/pectin mixture) to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Once you reach a rolling boil (meaning that even as you stir it, it still continues to boil), quickly pour the remaining 3 1/2 cups of sugar in. Continue to stir and bring back to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute stirring constantly (mine usually gets cut short because it starts to rise & overflow!) Then, remove from heat.

Skim off the foam quickly.

Remove the jars from the boiling water, and place on clean counter.

Pour jam into jars, leaving 1/2" of space at top for the wax. Clean off any spills around the top of the jar with paper towel. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! If the top of the jar is not clean, a good seal will not form and bacteria may begin to grow, causing severe food poisoning. Quickly spoon some of the parafin wax onto the top, just covering the jam.

Let the wax dry. When the wax hardens, pour a second coating of wax on top. Swirl the jar around, so that the wax covers everything. Then, place a lid on the jar and seal with the band.

Ta da!!! Your strawberry jam is complete. Let the jam sit for 24 hours before putting away. I like to write on the lids so I know what kind of jam I made and also what date I made it. Also, if I have leftover jam that doesn't quit fill a jar, I put that in the fridge right away (with no wax on it) and eat it up! Yum!!!

I also used the rhubarb I picked a few weeks ago to make strawberry-rhubarb jam. I halved the recipe. Here is the receipe that I followed:

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam