Its that season! Strawberry Season! One of my favorite times of the year. I try hard not to eat strawberries at any other time as they are always so disappointing, so I try to take advantage of Strawberry season and enjoy it as much as I can!
One way I do enjoy them at other times of the year however is as jam. I used to make pots and pots of strawberry jam with the children were growing up. Now there is just me, and with me being a Diabetic, I no longer need pots and pots of jam.
That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the occasional treat of it however. I was very excited to find this strawberry jam recipe for honey strawberry jam without pectin, for a couple of reasons.
First of all it uses honey to sweeten it and honey is a natural sweetener, and secondly because it is a small batch recipe, making only two half pint (1 cup) jars! Win/win!!
I adapted the recipe from one that I found in this book. Preserving by the Pint, by Marisa McClellan. I actually purchased this book back in November of last year and have waiting somewhat patiently for strawberry season so that I could put it into practice!
Its a fabulous book, filled with quite a few small batch recipes for jams and preserves, ideal for the smaller family. Some have unusual flavors (think Blueberry Maple, or Mustard Rhubarb Chutney.) I highly recommend!
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Making jams and pickles has always been very therapeutic for me. It is just something I have always really enjoyed. Of course when I was raising my family it came in very handy. I don't think my children ever had a store bought jar or jam or pickle.
The shelves of my larder were filled with loads of them. I made strawberry jam, blueberry jam, grape jelly, blackberry jelly, raspberry jam, peach jam, and don't get me started on the pickles.
One year I canned 52 quart sized jar of dill pickles alone! And they ALL got eaten! We love LOVE our dill pickles!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HONEY STRAWBERRY JAM (SMALL BATCH)
I was so excited to get this book and to know that I could once again prepare small batch recipes of jams and preserves for myself. This is a very simple recipe, using only a minimum of simple ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) fresh strawberries
- 1 cup (340g) honey
- 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
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Use only the sweetest freshest berries that you can find. Strawberries and honey have beautiful taste affinity for each other. You will not regret making this.
Because of the honey there is no need to use any processed sugars in this jam. Everything is completely natural.
You can add thyme if you wish, but you can also leave it out if you want to keep the flavors simple.
Do know that jams sweetened with honey do not last as long once opened as those made with sugar, so it is probably wisest (and that's what I did) to preserve the jam in 1/4 pint (1/2 cup) sized jars.
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WHY PROCESS PRESERVES
Processing preserves in a boiling water bath canner is not as intimidating as one might suppose and it really does help to ensure that your jam will not be contaminated and that it will be properly preserved.
Boiling the filled jars kills any contaminants that might have landed in the jars. (safe only for high acid foods, hence the addition of lemon juice.)
The oxygen in the headspace is heated sufficiently to make it expand and push its way out of the jar. Once the jar is removed from the hot water, the jar will cool, the space will contract, ad the lid will pull down and form the perfect vacuum, because there is no oxygen left to hold that space.
This is what helps to keep your jams and pickles safe to eat and fresh.
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HOW TO MAKE HONEY STRAWBERRY JAM (SMALL BATCH)
Its really very simple. Really!
Prepare a boiling water bath and sterilize two half pint jars along with their lids. (See recipe notes.)
Wash, hull and chop the berries, placing them into a bowl. Add the honey and stir. Strip the thyme leaves from their stems (if using) and add them to the bowl. Stir everything to combine and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
When the honey has dissolved and the berries have released their juices, scrap the combination into a deep wide pan. Stir in the lemon juice.
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Bring to a bubble over high heat. Cook on high for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture is thick and sticky. You can tell if it is one by pulling a spatula through the cooking fruit. If the mixture doesn't immediately rush in to fill the space, your jam is done.
Spoon into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims clean with a clean wet cloth. Apply the hot sterile lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Once opened this will only keep for 2 to 3 weeks. If your family cannot eat 1/2 pint within that time period, consider canning it in quarter pint (1/2 cup) jars.
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RECIPE NOTES -
Sterilize your jars by putting them into a pot of cold water to cover. Bring to the boil. Remove the jars and set them on a clean sterile towel.
Place the lids and rings in a small saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the barest simmer on the back of the stove.
Prepare your jam. Carefully fill the jars with the hot product, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe rims with the ends of a cloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Apply lids and bands, screw shut (finger tip tight) and then process in the water bath as per the instructions for your water batch canner.
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Strawberry jam is my favorite of all the jams! We enjoy it as a filling for cakes and cookies. On simple buttered white bread, on buttered toast.
And when I was a child we often enjoyed it spooned over the top of vanilla ice cream as an extra special treat. Oh so tasty!
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Mom used to make freezer jam with the strawberries, just by following the instructions on the jar of Pectin. It was always really good.
She would put us to work every year picking loads and loads of berries. We would enjoy a nice dessert of strawberry shortcake more than a few times and then her jam the rest of the year! It was divine!
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PEAR AND SAFFRON JAM - This is a really delicious and very pretty colored jam. Easy to do and doesn't make a ton.
SPICED PEAR CHUTNEY - You can't really go wrong with making a delicious chutney. It is a gift that will give to you all the year through.
Honey Strawberry Jam (small batch)
Yield: 2 (half pint/250ml) jars
Honey and strawberries have a blissful affinity for each other. This is a brilliant combination!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) fresh strawberries
- 1 cup (340g) honey
- 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Prepare a boiling water bath and sterilize two half pint jars along with their lids. (See recipe notes.)
- Wash, hull and chop the berries, placing them into a bowl. Add the honey and stir. Strip the thyme leaves from their stems (if using) and add them to the bowl. Stir everything to combine and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
- When the honey has dissolved and the berries have released their juices, scrap the combination into a deep wide pan. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Bring to a bubble over high heat. Cook on high for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture is thick and sticky. You can tell if it is one by pulling a spatula through the cooking fruit. If the mixture doesn't immediately rush in to fill the space, your jam is done.
- Spoon into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims clean with a clean wet cloth. Apply the hot sterile lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
- Once opened this will only keep for 2 to 3 weeks. If your family cannot eat 1/2 pint within that time period, consider canning it in quarter pint (1/2 cup) jars.
Notes
Sterilize your jars by putting them into a pot of cold water to cover. Bring to the boil. Remove the jars and set them on a clean sterile towel.
Place the lids and rings in a small saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the barest simmer on the back of the stove.
Prepare your jam. Carefully fill the jars with the hot product, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe rims with the ends of a cloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Apply lids and bands, screw shut (finger tip tight) and then process in the water bath as per the instructions for your water batch canner.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Thanks for sharing. I love strawberry jam and honey but have never combined the two. I bought strawberries yesterday, so your recipe is perfect timing. Have you ever tried making strawberry jam with chia seeds and "fake" sugar? I've not but have seen a few recipes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a happy co-incidence Ginger! I have not tried making strawberry jam with chia seeds or fake sugar. So far it has been my experience with the fake sugar that it seems to crystalize after about 24 hours, so not good! xo
DeleteI just finished your recipe. It is to good! Thank you again.
DeleteI agree with you about the crystallization. I've found one brand, King Arthur Baking, that does not seem to crystalize. It's a blend of fake sugars. It's hard to find locally so I don't always have it on hand. I usually order if when he price drops on Amazon. If I come up with anything that works, I will email you.
Thanks Ginger! I don't think the King Arthur baking one is available here in Canada. Thanks for letting me know! I would love to bake more with fake sugar, but the crystallization thing puts me off!
DeleteDidn’t know you can use honey. What a great idea!
ReplyDeleteIts great, but it does mean you must water bath can it! xo
DeleteI'm so confused by this recipe. It tells me to only prepare 2 jars that are half pint size. But I ended up with loads of jam. I'm so confused.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure why you ended up with loads of jam. A pint is like 500ml or 2 1/2 cups. So a half pint would be 250ml or approximately 1 1/4 cups. How much did you actually end up with? I got 4 (1/4 pint) jars when I made it myself.
DeleteI have some extra peaches could this recipe be converted to them?
ReplyDeleteNo promises as never having done so I cannot say yes with any certainty, but I would give it a go as I think it will work.
Delete