I have high hopes this year that my expanded vegetable garden will produce so many vegetables that come fall I’ll have a pantry full of canned vegetables and fruits. Jars of pickled okra waiting to garnish the perfect bloody marry. Fresh stewed tomatoes in the middle of winter and jars of fresh jellies, jams and preserves which came fresh from the local farmers market.
As I said “high hopes”.
Canning is something I’m fairly knew to and I plan on sharing my successes and failures on my blog.
A few weeks ago I took a trip the local farmers market. My first attempt was a recipe I followed from Allrecipes.com for a quick strawberry jam that could be kept in the fridge. I followed the recipe to the letter but was hesitant about the amount of sugar it contained. The results were good, not great. Too sweet for my tastes which took away from the fresh strawberry flavor. 4 cups of sugar for 2lbs of strawberries! If you like a dash of strawberry flavor with your melted sugar then this recipe is for you. Great on ice cream.
I took another trip to the market last weekend to pickup a few more strawberries. Why didn’t I just go to the grocery store? You will never convince me that strawberries, or any food for that matter, shipped from hundreds or even thousands of miles away will ever taste the same as one picked directly from the farm you buy it at. The 1hr trip for me is well worth it.
I substituted the sugar with wildflower honey. The results were amazing! You can taste the freshness of the strawberries with a hint of wildflower from the honey. The perfect combination of flavors.
This recipe for strawberry jam with honey is meant to be refrigerated and eaten with in 2 weeks but you can also follow regular canning procedures which involves sterilizing and boiling the jars and store in your pantry for months.
2 lbs fresh strawberries hulled and halved (aprox. 2 pints)
1 cup natural honey
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (aprox. 1 1/2 lemons)
3 12 oz. canning jars with lids
Combine the strawberries, honey and lemon juice in a large sauce pot over medium heat
Bring the mixture to a slow boil and cook for 25-30 minutes
Test for thickness by placing a small amount on a cold plate (kept in freezer). Wipe a finger or spoon through the mixture on the plate to see if it runs back together. If it stays separated it’s ready. If the jam runs back together then continue to cook for another 15 minutes.
Allow jam to cool enough to handle and carefully ladle into 3-12 oz canning jars. Cool in fridge before sealing.
Cover with lids and place in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
If you want to keep longer follow regular canning procedures for jams and jellies.
