A photo tutorial on how to make and can jam
Ingredients and Supplies:
A canning kit (I use this one but got it for a lower price at Walmart. You also do not need the additional supplies but I find the funnel and tongs make it much easier to can)
Canning Jars (if you are buying them new, they come with the lids)
Fruit, I will be using strawberry
Pectin
Sugar
Let's begin shall we...
Step 1: Obtain Coffee
Step 2: Locate Berries
Step 3: Pick em
Step 4: Wash and Hull the berries
Step 5: Ready your jars by seperating the jars from the lid and bands
Having an eager helper makes it fun!
Now on to the actual jam making....
When you begin, you want to make sure your jars are clean and hot. I run mine through the dishwasher with a high temp wash and heated dry. After they are done, I leave them in the dishwasher so they stay hot, removing as many as I need only when I need them for filling. If you do not have a dishwasher, you can submerge them in boiling water and leave them there.
I always start by getting my canner ready. I fill it about four and a half inches for half pint (8 ounce) jars. I let it heat up for a bit, maybe 15 or 20 minutes before beginning the jam. Alternatively, you could get the canner water boiling and then turn it down and turn it back up to boiling when you add your sugar (this works better on a gas stove.)
I also measure out the sugar ahead of time. You will need 7 cups.
The last step before the actual jam cooking is to prep the lids. You want to soak the lids in almost boiling water. I heat the water and then dump the lids in.
For the actual jam...
Take your prepped berries and smash them up. You can use a potato masher or just use your hands. You will need 5 cups of crushed berries to make 7ish 8 ounces jars (I got 9 out of my first batch and 8 out of my second, so prep extra jars just to be safe.)
I like to leave my berries a little chunky but mash them to your liking
Next, take the crushed berries and add in 1/4 cup lemon juice (I use fresh squeezed by bottled is fine too) and 1 package pectin. Make sure you do not have the no added sugar pectin (that is a different method of jam making) and it is a powder and not the liquid.
Take the mixture and heat until it reaches a rolling boil. This is when stirring it does not reduce the boil.
Once the jam has hit the rolling boil, it is time to add in the sugar. I add it in a bit at a time while stirring to make sure it dissolves completly.
Once the sugar is added, allow the jam to reach a boil again and boil for 1-2 minutes.
Now it is filling time...
Fill them leaving a 1/4 inch of headspace. The funnel really comes in handy here because the jam is boiling hot. After filling, wipe off any spills around the top of the jar and place the lid on the jar. Secure the lid with the band ensuring the band is on tightly. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Once filled, load the canner rack and lower into the boiling canner
Allow the jars to process for 10 minutes. At higher altitudes, processing time increases. When the processing time is over, remove the jars and allow them to sit for 12-24 hours. Sometimes you can hear the cans sealing as they sit (they make a popping sound.) After 24 hours, check the seals by pushing on the top of the lid. It should be indented and sealed tightly, it should not pop. If it is not sealed properly, you use must use those jars first.
Store all remaining jars and enjoy!
Recent Comments