Strawberry Jam – Unsweetened, Stevia Concentrate, or Very Lightly Sweetened
This Strawberry Jam is a cooked jam that is made with no sweetener at all, stevia concentrate, or other very concentrated sweetener, or a very small amount of sugar or honey or other sweeteners that measure like sugar or honey and Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives.
Notes
Option: To sweeten with Stevia concentrate or a small amount of any other sweetener, add sweetener to taste in Step 5 before removing from the heat. Cook and stir for 1 additional minute after adding sweetener. Jam made with no sweetener may be kind of tart and rather bland. Sweetener, whichever one you like, helps to bring out the flavor of the fruit.
Servings 5 cups
Ingredients
- 4 cups mashed strawberries
- 2 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- ¾ cup water or unsweetened juice
- 2 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
- Wash, hull, and mash strawberries. Measure mashed strawberries into sauce pan.
- Add calcium water and mix well.
- Bring water or unsweetened juice to a boil in a separate sauce pan. Put boiling water or unsweetened juice in cup for immersion blender, or in food processor, or in blender. Add pectin. It is very important to vent the lid (if there is one) to let steam out. Don’t use an enclosed blender that can’t be vented. Blend for 10 seconds, then stop and scrape down the sides so all pectin clumps are in or on the liquid. Then blend for a full minute until all powder is totally dissolved.
- Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-water or pectin-juice. Stir for 1 minute while mixture returns to a full boil. Remove from the heat.
- Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
- Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
- Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
Can I replace some of the strawberries with figs?
We have never tried this, but I don’t see why not. Figs are low-acid, so be sure to add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice per cup of figs.
How many pints does this recipe make?
This recipe makes about 5 half pints (8 oz jars).
I believe it should be added in step 6, not 5. This is typically when sugar is added to Jam. I would bring the fruit to a boil, add the pectin mixture, bring it back to a boil, add the sugar, then boil for another minute before removing from the heat.
Hi again. Have a couple more questions.
1. This recipe provides volume measurements. Is it possible to convert it to mass measurements? And if so, what would the conversions be? I’d much rather use my kitchen scale for more accurate measurements (since fruit volume measurements can vary widely by the various shapes of fruit and size of cuts).
2. I plan on making a small batch first as a test, then making a massive amount of this jam to give out as gifts. How much can I safely scale up this recipe? (3x, 4x, 5x etc.)
Question about when to add the concentrated Stevia. The notes say in step 5, so am I supposed to add it to the water/juice and pectin mix (before boiling it)?
If my understanding is correct it will be difficult to impossible to determine the proper amount to use, even by taste testing, because I won’t be able to test it and change amounts once the mixture has been added to the strawberry mix.
Can I use frozen strawberries as long as the mashed fruit quantity is as directed? Thanks!
Yes! When using frozen fruit you will need to thaw the fruit before you mash and measure it. Happy jamming!
Can I allow the strawberries to boil for longer than the recipe indicates? I like when the berries are more broken down from simmering for awhile.
Hello Talya,
You certainly can, once the pectin is added though, the cook time does need to be as directed.
Happy jamming!