Classic Strawberry Jam Recipe

This strawberry jam recipe takes very little time to make and you don't even need to add pectin. It can easily be canned or frozen, so make a big batch!

The warmer weather means many things, but it also when the price of strawberries drops dramatically!

I go through "phases" with my cooking and baking and in the last few weeks, I have been on a "jam & jellies" bender. It started when I got a sweet deal on organic strawberries and I decided to whip up a batch of this strawberry jam - and by the time I was done with my "bender", I had a pantry full of orange marmalade, lemon curd and lemon-ginger marmalade (look for those recipes soon!). I still want to make some apricot jam as well as some more of the peach preserves that I made last year - just have to wait for the prices to drop.

Anyway....

This strawberry jam is the perfect recipe for anyone that is just getting started with making jams and jellies, because you probably have everything you need to make it (no need to buy boxes of pectin at the grocery store) and it is makes about 4 pints of jam. No need to get overwhelmed on when you are just getting started!

You will want to have some canning jars on hand, especially if you plan on preserving your jam using the water bath method. You can also use the same jars if you want to freeze the leftover jam!

While you can use the frozen plate test to check that your jam is at the right temperature, I just prefer to use a candy thermometer and bring the jam up to 220F - I just think it is more precise.

When to mash your berries is up to you.  Some people prefer to mash them before they start cooking their jam, but I like to wait until the jam is almost at the right temperature and just use my stick blender to mash them right in the pan.  The strawberries will be softer, many of them will have already broken down and you can control how many chunks of berries remain in your finished jam!

Lastly - the butter.  I know that it seems strange to add butter to strawberry jam, but it will cut down on the foaming that often happens when you make jams and jellies.  You can leave it out of you want, but I really think it makes a difference and it is a trick that my mom taught me, that her mom taught her, etc....it just WORKS!

Scroll down for the recipe!

Classic Strawberry Jam Recipe

This strawberry jam recipe takes very little time to make and you don't even need to add pectin. It can easily be canned or frozen and is so delicious!

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Prep Time: 3 hours hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 pints

Author: Mindi

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 4 cups hulled and chopped strawberries
• 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• juice of ½ lemon about 2 tablespoons
• ½ tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

• Prepare your canning jars for water bath canning (instructions in that post)
• At least 3 hours before you are ready to make your jam, combine the sugar and strawberries. Cover and set aside for 3 hours. This will allow the sugar to pull some of the juices out of the berries (if you are short on time, you can skip this step, but it really is the best way)
• In a heavy pot, combine the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice
• Cook over low heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to boil
• Continue cooking over low heat until for about 20 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken and measures 220F on a candy thermometer
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter
• Pour jam in to your sterilized jars and process them using the water bath method for 10 minutes

Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe