Local flavors marry in this four-ingredient, sugar-free, Honey Strawberry Jam and I’ve finally scratched a summer itch – canning!
When July arrived and I hadn’t canned or preserved a single thing, save for a few bottles of strawberry-infused vodka, I began to panic a little. Yes, even though I’m the one who coached you on how to get your act together for the canning season, I’m still trying to kick-start my efforts.
So partially as incentive to get canning and partially to get out of the post-camping cleanup, I purchased a large flat of fresh Québec strawberries with the intention of making them into jam. Goodness knows when I was going to get the opportunity, as my summer days are jammed packed full of picnics, bike riding, backyard baseball, finger painting and other important activities. However, when Danny called around lunchtime one day this week to let me know he’d be home from work early, I knew I had my chance. Jam would be made by evening or I’d be a monkey’s uncle.
Out of my 9 good reasons to can your own food, personal satisfaction and passion are my main motivation to preserve the harvest.
Making jam and canning is most definitely therapeutic for me. It starts with the prepping of the fruit, a task I usually take to the back patio where I can watch the kids play and multitask in the most relaxed of ways. Then I put a large pot of water on to boil, and as it gurgles on the stove, I pad around the kitchen, gathering ingredients and tools, grateful for the time and space for the task at hand.
I feel a connection – to food culture, to the past, to the countless homemakers before me who ‘put up’ every summer. The fruit under my hands is ripe, luscious and deserving of respect. Plus I know that the experience of opening a jar of strawberry jam in March is more than just practical – it’s transporting. So a-jammin’ I go.
Honey + Strawberries = Jam
I’ve been captivated with strawberries and honey ever since Mother’s Day and the Honey Whole-Wheat Strawberry Shortcakes with Honey-Sweetened Whipped Cream. While the honey does have a strong flavor contribution to this jam, it marries beautifully with the berries.
Believe it or not, this is my first attempt at a true strawberry jam. In the past I deemed it too common and went for more adventurous flavor combinations, but now, I’m craving the comfort of the classics. Does that mean I’m getting old? Perhaps.
At any rate, this jam is neither boring, common or inferior to other jazzier conserves. It’s dead simple, with just four ingredients, and is made without the cups and cups of white sugar that round out most fruit jams. As with many sugar-free jams, it is a tad on the thin side. I wouldn’t call it runny (I’ve seen some runny jam in my days!) but it doesn’t just sit on a knife, either.
Don’t let the thin texture deter you from trying this jam. It’s been less than 24 hours since I made it and we’re nearly through a jar because I’ve been spooning it over vanilla ice cream, adding it to yogurt and slathering crusty baguettes with its sweetness. It’s perfection!
Honey Strawberry Jam
If this is your first time making jam, be sure to review our Canning Basics before you get started.
Wash and sterilize six 250ml jam jars. Boil the flat parts of the lids in a small pot and keep at a low simmer.
Mash the berries with a potato masher and place in a large heavy bottomed saucepan.
Add the pectin, stir with a wooden spoon, and place on a burner over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Stir and boil for 1 min.
Remove from heat and add the honey and lemon juice and mix well. Return to heat and bring to a boil again, stirring occasionally. Boil for 5 min, stirring constantly.
Remove jam from heat and let sit for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. It will thicken slightly. Ladle jam into hot jars, then place a flat lid on jars, and add screw rings.
Immerse jars in hot water bath, and boil rapidly for 8 min. Remove from bath and place on a towel on the counter to cool.
Honey can be substituted for sugar in canned and frozen fruits. The flavor of honey is sweeter than that of granulated sugar so it is advisable to use less honey than the amount of sugar specified in the recipe.
“Sugar serves as a preserving agent, contributes flavor, and aids in gelling. Cane and beet sugar are the usual sources of sugar for jelly or jam. Corn syrup and honey may be used to replace part of the sugar in recipes, but too much will mask the fruit flavor and alter the gel structure.
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.
Regardless of the type of jam or jelly you have on hand, it's important to know the signs of spoilage. According to Lee, this may include yeasty off-odors, fermented alcohol-like flavors, and mold growth, which may appear as white fuzzy patches inside the jar or on the product itself.
Is honey better for you than sugar? Honey has a lower GI value than sugar, meaning that it does not raise blood sugar levels as quickly. Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you may need less of it, but it does have slightly more calories per teaspoon so it's wise to keep a close eye on your portion sizes.
Glass jars with lids are also ideal for storing honey as long as the lids are on tight so the honey won't be exposed to air, while not being used. It isn't recommended to store your honey in non-food plastic containers or metal containers because they can cause honey to oxidize.
Over one cup, use about 2/3-3/4 cup of honey for every cup of sugar. This is because honey is actually sweeter than sugar. Honey is a liquid, so you'll need to reduce the liquid in the recipe a little. Do this at a rate of 1/4 cup less liquid for every cup of honey used in the recipe.
The thing to keep in mind is that sugar is essential for successful jam-making. Cutting down on the sugar in a jam recipe is just asking for failure. You will end up with a runny mess to show for all your work. While it is true that sugar contributes to the sweetness of the jam, it does much more than that.
To substitute 1 cup of sugar: Use 2/3 cup honey. Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you need to use less. Decrease other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup, because there's water in the honey too.
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).
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.
Sugar: Four cups of white sugar sweetens the jam, thickens the jam, and acts as a preservative. Lemon juice: Lemon juice is essential for getting the pectin to gel properly, setting the jam. It also helps prevent the growth of bacteria.
botulinum, does not have a taste, you cannot see it, and it does not have an odor. Pressure canning recommendations for low acid meats and vegetables are based on destroying the spores produced by this bacteria before they have a chance of germinating and producing the deadly toxin that causes botulism food poisoning.
Usually that thin, white film is jelled foam. If your fruit was foamy in the sauce pan and you didn't skim the foam off, or if your mixture had a lot of air in it and you didn't do air releasing before putting the jam in the jars, the foam or tiny air bubbles rise to the top of the jar and form that white film.
A: For best quality, it is recommended that all home-canned foods be used within a year. Most homemade jams and jellies that use a tested recipe, and have been processed in a canner for the recommended time, should retain best quality and flavor for up to that one year recommended time.
Honey is a good preservative that allows us to maintain a nutritious food supply that the population demands. Milk and dairy products are an important part of a healthy diet providing an inexpensive source of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Add the vinegars, honey, salt, garlic, mustard seeds, peppercorns, turmeric, chile flakes and bay leaves to a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey and the salt. Carefully pour the brine over the pickles, stopping 1/2 inch from the top. Let cool completely, then cover with a lid and refrigerate.
Canning honey is the easiest canning you will ever do. Honey is an amazing food in that it is dry enough (has a low water content) and sweet enough (has so much natural sugar) that most molds and bacteria that are harmful to humans or cause spoilage cannot survive in it.
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