Perfectly Preserved Strawberry Jam: A Simple Guide to Canning Success

To make delicious strawberry jam, follow these simple steps:

First, clean and hull about 2 quarts of fresh strawberries. This means removing the stems, leaves, and any underripe or bad spots. You can use a potato masher or food processor to crush the strawberries into 5 cups of juice.

Next, combine the crushed strawberries with a box of Sure-Jell in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Stir regularly and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add 7 cups of granulated sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil for one minute, being careful not to let it burn.

Remove the pot from heat and carefully ladle the hot strawberry mixture into prepared jars. Prepared jars should be washed, rinsed, and heated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent cracking. Fill each jar with jam, leaving 1-2 inches of headspace at the top. Wipe the rim and threads of each jar clean before attaching sanitized lids and rings.

Now it’s time to process the filled jars in a hot water bath for ten minutes. Place jars on a rack in a canning pot with at least two inches of water above them. Cover the pot and boil for ten minutes before carefully removing hot jars from the canner and allowing them to cool down at room temperature. Check that each jar is sealed properly before storing it away for up to one year if sealed correctly or consuming it within one month if not processed in a hot water bath or frozen within six months if kept refrigerated or frozen respectively following Ball Canning Blue Book instructions for guidance on processing times