only slightly sweet

At long last I've found the perfect way to make berry jams.  In the past I've made jam that has turned out too runny, too clumpy and way way too sweet.  These batches were edible, but not exactly what I had envisioned while picking and mashing berries.  Another time I had to pitch an entire pot of raspberries after realizing that sucanat leaves its molasses flavor if too much is added - not a taste I was looking to slather my toast with.  But now I've been introduced to Pomona and I'm certain that jam-making is forever changed in my home.  I can't seem to get berry picking off my mind.  I might even plan the rest of my summer around the ripening of berries.  I'm so grateful that there is an abundance of pesticide-free and organic berry patches nearby -- not to mention the woods, where we'll compete with black bears later in the season.  But before I get swept up entirely by visions of berries, here's the recipe for a not too sweet strawberry jam.  It was adapted from Pomona's Low Sugar Cooked Recipe.  Enjoy!

Only Slightly Sweet Strawberry Jam
6 quarts ripe strawberries
2 T lemon juice
2 1/4 cups unrefined cane sugar (our co-op just started carrying Fair Trade cane sugar in bulk!)
2 T Pomona's Universal Pectin
2 T Pomona's Calcium Water (comes with the pectin)

If you're not familiar with canning, check out any edition of the classic Putting Food By or the National Center for Home Food Preservation before you get started.

Prepare boiling water bath.  Sterilize canning jars and lids.  Hull and mash strawberries.  You should have approximately 12 to 13 cups of mashed berries with their juices.  Add strawberries, lemon juice and calcium water to a large soup pot.  Bring berries to boil, stirring frequently.  Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix sugar and pectin well.  Once berries have come to a boil, add sugar mixture.  Stir vigorously for 1 minute or so, until the sugar has dissolved.  Bring berry mixture back to a boil.  Once it has boiled the second time, remove from heat.  Put jam in hot sterile jars, filling to 1/4-inch from top (yes, the jam will still seem runny - it jells up as it cools).  Wipe rims clean.  Screw on two-piece lids.  Process jars in boiling water bath for five minutes.  Remove jars from water bath and let cool on a wire rack.  Once cool, check to enusre that the lids are vacuum sealed.  Yield:  15 cups.

Comments

[marie]

It looks delicious. This is certainly the season for preserving...I've been meaning to make some myself and you have given me the inspiration.

Marie x

[Grace]

Um, yum!!! wonderful!

[melissa]

thank you for this recipe- i really can't wait for summer to come around so I can try it out! your jars look gorgeous lined up there.

[katharine]

Amazing! I have a freezer full of strawberries waiting for canning. Like you I've never been all that pleased with my results so I'll try this recipe out this year. The sugar to fruit ratio looks great compared to most.