Small Batch Strawberry Jam
This delicious small batch jam is perfect for when you don’t need 50 jars – but you DO need a little jam! Homemade is always better, and this recipe is no exception!
Prep: 2min
Total: 12min
Serving Size: 1 serving
Nutrition Facts: calories 55 kcal, Carbohydrate 14 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 1 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Sodium 1 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 13 g, servingSize 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1 lb fresh strawberries
- 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- ½ tsp lemon zest (optional)
Instruction:
- Wash and slice the strawberries, removing the hulls and green tops.
- Add them to a saucepan, and mix the sugar in well.
- Stir continually over medium heat, and bring the strawberries to boil.
- Once boiling, add the lemon juice and zest (if using).
- Boil for about 15 minutes, or until the jam reaches 220F.
- Stir often, to make sure the jam doesn’t burn.
- Pour into a jar and allow to cool.
- Cover and refrigerate.
- Use within about 2 weeks (if it lasts that long).
How to Make Strawberry Jam!
FAQ
Is strawberry jam better with or without pectin?
The added pectin reduces cooking time by about 75% and so preserves the fresh strawberry flavor and also color. In addition, since much of the juice is cooked off during the cooking of a long cook jam, using added pectin increases the yield and results in more jars of finished jam.
Why do you put lemon juice in strawberry jam?
Lemon juice lowers the pH of the jam mixture and neutralizes the negative charges on the strands of pectin allowing them to move together into a network to “set” the jam. The optimal pH for gelatinization is between 2.8 and 3.5. The best way to achieve this level of acidity is to use commercially bottled lemon juice.
How do you get jam to set without pectin?
If you simply take fruit and cook it with some sugar to sweeten it a little, it will get thick enough to turn into jam by the naturally occurring pectin in the fruit and the process of reduction. Reduction occurs when we simmer the fruit, and the liquid turns to steam and evaporates, which thickens the jam.
How to make homemade strawberry jam thicker?
There are a few ways to thicken it such as:
- To cook until it is thick enough.
- Adding powdered pectin to your mixture.
- Adding lemon wedges and slices to it.
- Using cornstarch.
