So, you’re ready to learn how to can strawberry jam at home? You’re gonna love how easy it is!
With strawberry season just around the corner, I’m busy emptying our freezer of what’s leftover from last year’s farm picked strawberries, and making yummy jams and syrups. I love that you can make strawberry jam any time of the year, using fresh or frozen berries.
Here are simple, step-by-step instructions to make sure your first batch is perfect!
How To Can Strawberry Jam
Ingredients (makes a dozen pints)
- 15 c. or approx. 1 gallon strawberries, crushed
- 3/4 c. lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- 21 cups sugar (you can use a sugar substitute with no-sugar pectin)
- 3 boxes powdered pectin
Equipment
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- Water Bath Canner
- 20 qt. Stainless Steel Stock Pot
- Pint or Half Pint Canning Jars w/ Lids
- Wide-Mouth Funnel
- Magnetic Lid Lifter or tongs
Start with fresh or frozen strawberries which have previously been washed and hulled. Place them in a large stockpot, turn heat to med-low.
Use a potato masher to help crush whole strawberries and extract their juices as they warm up.
Once the strawberries are crushed enough for jam, add the lemon juice and pectin. Stir, bringing to a full rolling boil. Continue stirring to prevent scorching.
Add full amount of sugar all at once. Return to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Remember to stir constantly to prevent scorching. Boil hard for 1 minute.
Meanwhile, have the jars and lids simmering in hot water. It’s best to have a rack or a cloth in the bottom of the pot to keep the glass jars from resting directly on the heat source, to reduce chances of breakage.
Do not boil the lids or you risk damaging the sealing compound. Simmer for 5-10 minutes to sanitize.
Alternatively, you can sanitize your jars and keep them warm in a dishwasher.
Remove the jam from the heat source. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving at least 1/4″ headspace.
I like to fill several jars at a time, keeping the remaining jars in hot water until I’m ready for them.
Use a wet cloth to wipe the rims and around the tops of the jars to remove any drops of jelly which would prevent the lid from sealing.
Using a lid lifter or tongs, retrieve lids from the simmering water and place them on the jars.
Screw on the bands as tightly as you can with your hands, finger-tight.
Place filled jars in a water bath canner full of boiling water. Make sure the jars are covered by 1-2″ of water once submerged. Add water as needed to cover jars.
Cover. Bring to a rolling boil, and allow to process for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the rack and jars from the canner. They’ll be extremely hot so use caution! Place the jars on a cooling rack to cool. Periodically check the bands on the jars to make sure they’re still tight. Sometimes they loosen as they cool.
Allow the jars to cool for 24 hours before testing the lids to make sure they sealed properly. To do so, remove the band and pull up on the lid. It should not come off easily. If the lid does come off, place that jar in the fridge to be eaten right away.
Jars can be stored with or without the metal bands. Place a piece of cardboard between jars when stacking them on top of one another to prevent seal damage.
Don’t forget to write the contents and date on the lid with a Sharpie. Home-canned jam will stay good for many years. I try to use ours up within 5 years for best flavor and quality. Store in a cool, dry place such as a basement or pantry.
If you’re itching to do some canning and don’t want to wait for strawberry season to begin, head to your local grocery store and pick up a couple bags of frozen strawberries!
To be honest though, it must be said that nothing beats the taste of freshly-picked, fully ripened strawberries from the field. It’ll be April before we’ll taste that goodness around these parts again.
I’m glad we have this delicious jam to tide over our taste-buds ’til then! Not only is it amazing spread on homemade bread, but we also love strawberry jam swirled in from-scratch oatmeal and unsweetened yogurt.
Enjoy!
A city girl learning to homestead on an acre of land in the country. Wife and homeschooling mother of four. Enjoying life, and everything that has to do with self sufficient living.
Can you use liquid pectin
Hi Kendra,
I need to question this…you say you keep your sealed jars for 5 years? according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation a year is optimum for storing. I sell my jams jellies etc to my local farm and also privately and have an expiration of 18 months on it.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/storing_jams.html
Oh and by the way LOVE your recipe!
If you are using frozen berries, do you than and drain them first? And is the 15 cups the amount of whole berries or the amount after they are crushed?
do you “thaw” and then drain …
Sherry,
I would not drain them.
15 cups crushed.
Hope that helps!
My mother in law has a pressure canner and water bath canner that she no longer uses and said I could have them. Not sure when they used last but I would say it’s been at least 20 yrs. Is there anything I need to be concerned about with using these? Obviously I will wash them, but especially thinking of the pressure canner, do they go bad? What should I look for/be careful of? Any suggestions/ideas would be appreciated as I’ve never canned before.
Lauren,
What brand of pressure canner is it? Does it have a gasket seal? If so, it may need replacing. The pressure gauge likely needs to be checked as well. If you look up your County Extension office, they should have somebody who can test that for you (usually for free). You’ll also need to make sure the vent is clear– run a pipe cleaner or something through it to remove any gunk or food particles which may be blocking the hole. It would be a good idea to look up the manufacturer and see if you can get your hands on an owner’s manual if the canner doesn’t have one any longer. The manual will tell you exactly what needs to be done maintenance-wise. Of course, you want to make sure that the bottom of the canner isn’t warped or dented, and that the top isn’t dented and that it sits flush on the pot. Hope that helps!! Enjoy your new canners!
Hi Kendra;
Hope this is not putting you on the spot since it’s a public forum, I didn’t have a personal messaging address. I needed to know whether a Presto canner is equal to the American you like and use. Both are 25 qt. or thereabout. One is a lot cheaper than the other. I won’t say which here. Thanks
Cindy in AL
Hi Cindy,
It’s no problem at all for you to ask me here! Personally, I prefer All Americans. It’s the brand I use and trust. I love that they’re Made in America and don’t have a gasket which will need replacing over time. Also, they might be a little more of an investment, but they’re made to last for generations. The quality is unmatched. If you’re looking to make a one-time purchase, the All American is the way to go. If you have the opportunity, I would encourage you to get your hands on both models so you can actually see and feel the difference for yourself before you make the purchase.