Strawberry jam is a favorite in our house, and our family of 5 goes through about 24 pints of jam a year. For years, I have tested various recipes. But sadly, most of the recipes found online and in cookbooks are overly sweet for me. Some even call for 1 cup of white sugar to every 1 cup of mashed strawberries, which seems unnecessary and masks the true flavor of the fruit.
In general, we are a low sugar household and avoid white refined sugar all together. After lots of trial and error with different types of natural sugars, we decided there is no better sweetener for fruit jam than honey. This recipe only calls for 1 cup of honey to every 4 cups of mashed strawberries. It feels good to use a natural sugar created by our own honey bees on the farm. But more than that, using a 1:4 ratio brings out the natural sweetness of the fruit without overpowering or creating an overly floral taste.
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Strawberry Jam with Honey
4 Cups Mashed Strawberries
1 Cup Honey
1/2 Pureed Granny Smith Apple with Skin, seeds removed - may substitute 4 Tbs low sugar pectin
3 Tbs Lemon Juice - may substitute 1 /2 tsp citric acid powder
Puree fresh, ripe, strawberries in a food processor until just blended. It should be chunky… Do NOT liquify. Another method is squishing the strawberries with a potato masher.
Place mashed strawberries into large pot over low heat. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Add honey, pureed apple (pectin), and lemon juice (citric acid). Simmer on for another 20-30 minutes over low heat until the jam begins to thicken. Using a metal spoon, dip it into the mixture and hold up. You should see the jam forming a gel-like consistency on the spoon.
Taste and add more honey if desired.
CANNING:
This recipe makes roughly 10 x 8 oz mason jars or 5 x 16 oz mason jars. Sterilize all jars and lids in boiling water for several minutes, let cool slightly.
Fill each jar with jam, leaving 1/2 inch space at top of jar.
Cover each jar with lid and seal. Carefully place back into gently boiling water for 15 minutes (8 oz jar) or 20 minutes (16 oz jar). Remove from pot and place on tea towel on the counter to cool. Let sit at room temperature for a few hours, ensuring each lid is sealed tightly (lid should be caved in). You should hear the jars popping as each lid seals.
Store at room temperature. If lid does not pop (cave in), place that jar in refrigerator and use immediately.