Homemade strawberry jam - Angus Soft Fruits (2024)

FAQs

Homemade strawberry jam - Angus Soft Fruits? ›

1. Fruits that are high in natural pectin and acid.

Some examples of the fruits that are high in natural pectin and acid are apples, oranges, melons, cherries, currants, grapes, raspberries. While the opposites are peaches, strawberries, peach, pineapple, grapefruit, pears, blueberries, papaya.

1. Fruits that are high in natural pectin and acid.

Some examples of the fruits that are high in natural pectin and acid are apples, oranges, melons, cherries, currants, grapes, raspberries. While the opposites are peaches, strawberries, peach, pineapple, grapefruit, pears, blueberries, papaya.

Adding acid in the form of fresh lemon or lime juice is important for two reasons: First, it makes for a more well-balanced jam, returning some of the acidity lost with the addition of sugar. Second, pectin needs acid to properly activate, or firm up.

No extra pectin– You may wonder if strawberry jam is better with or without pectin. Strawberries are naturally low in pectin, so some people prefer to add additional pectin to jams and jellies. However, I actually prefer homemade jam without extra pectin. They are a bit softer in texture, making it more versatile.

Macerating the fruit overnight is a step that makes for less work at canning time, and a neater overall process, but it isn't as essential as other parts of the recipe; the balance of sugar, acid, and pectin should not be modified, or the jam won't set, or won't be shelf stable.

Lemon is a fruit that is not suitable for jam making. Lemons vary in ripeness and therefore the amount of acid might not be adequate for the jam to achieve the proper set. Only a few fruits contain a sufficient amount of pectin and acid to produce good jelly or jam.

Peaches, pears, strawberries, apricots and blueberries are generally pretty sweet, therefore they tend to have a lower pectin content. All fruit pectin levels will vary at times. I'm sure you have had a peach that wasn't very sweet and one that was at some point.

5. Do Not Stir Once Mixture Is Boiling. Once your jam/marmalade it has reached a rapid rolling boil do not stir it. Stirring it will alter the temperature of the jam/marmalade meaning it will take longer to reach the setting point.

It's Not Only About Pectin

There's another reason why lemon juice is added to most jam recipes: for safe canning and to prevent the growth of bacteria. Bringing the pH level down means jars can be sealed in a regular boiling water bath in a reasonable amount of time (sometimes as little as 10 minutes).

Sugar - Sugar will help sweeten your jam but it also helps thicken it. The sugar binds to the water in the fruit and thickens the liquid. Lemon Juice - Lemon juice is great for flavor because it adds that bright acidic taste to all that sugar but it also helps your jam thicken.

How to prevent fruit float in jam? ›

Fruit floating to the top is perfectly safe, and is due to a density difference between the liquid and fruit pieces. To prevent the separation use ripe fruit, and crush the berries into small pieces. Make sure to not overcook the fruit.

If you're making fruit jam at home and skipping the canning process, what is often called quick jam or freezer jam, store in the fridge or freezer to preserve, and be aware that it should be consumed within 10 days if refrigerated and 3 months if frozen. It's not shelf stable without proper canning.

How Do You Make Strawberry Jam? Mash the strawberries. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and dissolve the sugar over low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Cider vinegar is a fairly mild vinegar and is used mainly to offset the sweetness of the sugar. The acid in the vinegar also helps the pectin in the jam sugar to set.

The Magic of Macerating

One of my favorite tricks for jam-making is macerating the fruit first. Macerating is the process of coating the fruit in sugar and letting it rest for a few hours or overnight, which pulls some of the juice out of the fruit and creates a syrup with the sugar.

Over-ripe or damaged fruit is not ideal - the jam will not set well and is likely to deteriorate rapidly. The amount of sugar you need to make jam depends on the amount of pectin in your chosen fruit, but generally the fruit-to-sugar ratio for traditional jams is 1:1 (ie. 450g/1lb sugar to 450g/1lb fruit).

Answer. Answer: The best fruits for making jellies contain sufficient amounts of pectin and acid.

Medium to high-pectin fruits include blackcurrants, plums, gooseberries, cooking apples, redcurrants and lemons as well as raspberries and apricots. Fruits that are low in pectin include blackberries, strawberries, rhubarb, peaches, cherries and dessert apples.

It's far better to have some slightly under-ripe fruit than overripe fruit, because once it goes even a little past its prime, it quickly starts to lose the pectin and acidity that are essential for good jam, while also producing overcooked flavors and a leathery texture.

Picked at the peak of ripeness and then frozen, these berries will be exponentially better than a pale, washed-out berry from faraway climes at this time of year. Get them into the jam pot before they thaw; the faster they defrost, the less juice escapes the fruits. This makes a thicker, tastier jam.