Strawberry Jam

This year strawberries came in a little later than usual with harvest being in early & mid June. I love to travel to Clendenin, WV to the Country Road House and Berries for a U-Pick evening with my boys. Besides relishing the aroma of the long rows of sun-ripened berries, the kids can wander the creek and peek at the chickens and ducks.

Ingredients

4-5 pounds strawberries, washed and hulled
2.5 pounds cane sugar
3-4 ounces of fresh lemon juice
Optional
2-3 whole, scraped vanilla beans
7 T powdered pectin

Directions
In a large (11-12 quart) nonreactive pot, combine berries and sugar. Add powdered pectin and vanilla beans with scapings, if using. Place the pot over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until berries begin to release their juices. As the mixture begins to foam, stir often and raise the heat to high. Add lemon juice.

Boil the mixture vigorously for 25+ minutes, scraping the bottom often to make sure the jam isn’t sticking. Fruit will gel at 220 degrees if you prefer to use a candy thermometer for testing.

Watch jam carefully and turn down heat if foam threatens to overflow. Jam will be a dark, shiny consistency when ready. Remove vanilla bean hulls before canning or cold storage.

NOTES:

A trick to test for doneness. Before boiling fruit, place metal spoons on a plate in the freezer. When you think the jam is ready, turn down heat and use the spoon to scoop out a spoonful of jam. Place back in freezer for ten minutes. Check the spoon and see if the jam is still runny or if it has thickened. A slow moving jam means the fruit has gelled.

Using fresh lemon juice is highly recommended. The lemon creates a bright and flavorful combination with your strawberries.

Omitting the pectin from this recipe will result in a loose, runny jam, close to the consistency of a sauce. For a thicker jam I recommend seven or more tablespoons of powdered pectin.

I like to blend with an immersion blender after the jam is ready and slightly cooled, to have jam that is very spreadable for our PB&Js.