This year I’ve been making many variations of strawberry-related preserves. From straight-up strawberry to strawberry-rhubarb, strawberry with balsamic vinegar and cracked black pepper, strawberry-raspberry, and the list goes on. My new favorite recipe is strawberry-vanilla Jam. The vanilla enhances the strawberry flavour, and it is a great recipe for illustrating techniques for making jam without commercial pectin.
What a great strawberry season this year. I’ve enjoyed variations on the strawberry theme and have been very happy with the addition of vanilla to the jam. It has a lovely flavour.
Why this recipe works:
Berries: Choose ripe but not over-ripe berries. Pectin levels are highest when ripe, but pectin diminishes quickly as the berries age.
Sugar Ratio: Sugar is critical for quality and for achieving a ‘set’ of the jam. As much as no/low sugar commercial pectins are popular these days, the fact is that sugar is necessary for a quality jam that is suitable for long-term storage.
Lemon Juice: Most recipes include the addition of bottled lemon juice. The lemon juice is necessary to help the pectin set. It also brightens the flavour.
Maceration: This process dramatically improves the set of the jam and guarantees a beautifully distributed fruit. No floating fruit problem!
Natural Pectin Boost: The grated Granny Smith apple is undetectable in the jam, but it helps speed up cooking time and improves gelling.
Happy summer and Happy canning everyone!
Comments and Questions?
preservingwithmartha@gmail.com
www.thevalleypreservery.ca
Strawberry-Vanilla Jam
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Loading...Ingredients
- 8 cups ripe strawberries cleaned, trimmed, quartered and lightly crushed
- 6 cups sugar*
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 Granny Smith apple peeled and grated
- ½ vanilla bean split or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Combine the berries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a bowl.
Mix well and allow to rest for several hours or over-night.
Place the mixture in a large Dutch oven or pot and add grated apple. Stir.
Bring to a boil and cook until the set point is reached.
Ladle into hot jars, debubble, clean rims and affix lids and rings to finger-tip tight.
Process in a boiling water bath or atmospheric steam canner for 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Remove from canner and place on a heat proof surface for 24 hours.
Check seals, label, and store.
Notes
You can reduce sugar to 4 cups without affecting the set or long-term storage
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