Old Fashioned Strawberry Jam Food

STRAWBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Place the mason jars in a large hot water bath canner (or pot). Cover with water and bring to a simmer. Simmer the center lids in separate saucepan full of water.
• Place the mashed strawberries and lemon juice in a separate pot. Stir in the pectin until dissolved. Bring the strawberries to a strong boil.
• Add the sugar (measure beforehand so you can add it all at once), and then return the mixture to a full (violent) boil that can't be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute 15 seconds. Skim foam off the top.
• Remove one jar at a time from the simmering water. Pour water back into the pot. Using a wide-mouth funnel, fill each jar with jam, being careful to keep the liquid/fruit ratio consistent. Fill the jars so that they have 1/4-inch of space at the top. Run a knife down the side of the jar to get rid of air bubbles. Wipe the rim of the jar with a wet cloth to remove any residue or stickiness.
• Remove the center lid from the simmering water and position it on top. Put screw bands on jars, but do not over tighten! Repeat with all the jars, and then place the jars on a canning rack and lower into the water. Place the lid on the canner, and then bring the water to a full boil. Boil hard for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and allow the jars to remain in the hot water for an addition 5 minutes. Remove the jars from the water using a jar lifter, and allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
• After 24 hours, remove the screw bands and check the seal of the jars. The center lids should have no give whatsoever. If any seals are compromised, store those jars in the fridge. Otherwise, fill your pantry with your newly canned goodness.

STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM

Steps:

• Rinse five 1-cup plastic or freezer-safe containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. Wash and mash berries, measuring out enough mashed berries to make 4 cups; place in a large bowl. Stir in sugar, corn syrup and lemon juice. Let stand 10 minutes., In a Dutch oven, combine strawberry mixture and water. Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off foam., Pour into containers, leaving 1/2 in. headspace. Cover and let stand overnight or until set, but not longer than 24 hours. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 12 months.

GRANDMOTHER'S STRAWBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Wash, dry and hull the berries. If berries are large, halve them; lightly crush about 1/3 of the berries. Place the berries into a large non aluminum pot and gently fold in the sugar and the lemon juice. Cover and set aside to macerate in a cool place for several hours, or overnight.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat; then reduce heat to low and simmer for 9 to 15 minutes, stirring often with a stainless steel spoon, until jam just begins to thicken.
• Remove from the heat and let jam come to room temperature, about 1 hour, then cover and cool in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
• Simmer again for 9 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until jam is thickened.
• Working quickly, pour into 8 8-ounce prepared and sterilized canning jars. Fill the jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe the rim with a clean damp cloth and seal them with 1/4 inch of melted paraffin. Cool the jars overnight. Wipe and seal again if necessary. Store in a cool, dark place.

OLD FASHIONED STRAWBERRY PRESERVES/JAM

Steps:

• In a bowl coarsley mash the strawberries using a potato masher or fork, then place into saucepan.
• Cook the strawberries over medium heat stirring until beginning to thicken (about 6 minutes).
• Reduce the heat to low, add in sugar and lemon juice.
• Increase the heat to medium and simmer gently until the mixture thickenes and mounds on the spoon (about 20 minutes) stirring frequently.
• Remove saucepan from heat cool just slightly, then place in refrigerator for rapid jelling.
• The preserves will thicken more while chilling and will keep for 1 week in refrigerator if tightly sealed (or after cooled completely the preserves may be frozen in plastic containers if desired).

OLD-FASHIONED STRAWBERRY JAM (WITHOUT PECTIN)

Steps:

• Wash and hull strawberries to remove tops.
• Mash strawberries and measure the fruit. You should have about 8 cups.
• Add strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a deep, heavy-bottomed dutch oven or jam pot.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat on the stove, stirring frequently to prevent scorching or overflows.
• Boil gently over medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the jam reaches its set point. The time will vary based on the water content of your strawberries and the exact heat from your stove.
• Test for set using a plate that's been chilled in the freezer, or using an instant-read thermometer. The set point of strawberry jam is 220 F at sea level, and drops by 1 degree for every 500 feet above sea level. For example, at 1,000 feet in elevation the jam will set at 218 F.
• When set, ladle into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Seal with 2 part lids to finger tight.
• If canning, process jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes above 6,000 feet in elevation). Turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit for an additional 5 minutes before removing them with a jar lifter to cool on a towel on the counter.
• Check seals after 12-24 hours and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.

OLD-FASHIONED STRAWBERRY JAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
• Mix sugar, pecans, strawberry jam, butter, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Mix baking soda into buttermilk; add to the batter. Add flour a little at a time, mixing well, until combined.
• Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool, about 30 minutes.
• While cakes cool, beat sugar and butter for filling together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add heavy cream, raisins, and pecans. Transfer to a pot and bring to a boil. Do not stir once syrup begins to boil. Heat to 240 degrees F (115 degrees C) or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from water and placed on a flat surface.
• Spread between and over the top of the cooled cake layers, letting excess drip down the sides.

OLD-FASHIONED STRAWBERRY PRESERVES

Steps:

• Place hulled strawberries in heavy large saucepan and mash coarsely. Cook strawberries over medium heat until beginning to thicken, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add 2 cups sugar and stir until dissolved. Increase heat to medium and boil gently until mixture thickens and mounds on spoon, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Cool. (Preserves can be prepared 1 week ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container.)