Strawberry Honey Jam
Ingredients:
- 6 cups ripe strawberries (measure after mashing, see below), it was about 5 pounds
- 1½ cups raw honey
- 3 tsp Pomonas Universal Pectin
- 3 tsp calcium water (see below)
Directions:
Jars & Lids –
Wash and rinse the jars; put them into a big stockpot; cover the jars with water and bring to a boil; turn off the heat. Let stand in hot water until you are ready to fill.
Let the rings and bands stand in hot water until you are ready to screw them on the jars. (Do not boil these, use new lids each time, bands can be reused.)
For the strawberries –
Rinse the berries and hull them. Mash the berries with a potato masher chunky-style, measure into a large saucepan. To make the calcium water, mix ½ tsp calcium with ½ cup water. Set aside, you will only need 3 tsp of it, the rest can be refrigerated for later use. Add 3 teaspoons of the calcium water to the berries, stir well.
For the honey & pectin –
Measure the honey into a separate bowl and thoroughly mix the pectin into it, set aside.
To Cook –
Bring the berries to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour the pectin-honey mixture into the boiling jam slowly and carefully, stirring as you add. Stir vigorously 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin.
Let the berries return to a boil and remove from the heat. Pectin gels completely when thoroughly cool, so don’t worry if your jam looks loose while still hot.
To preserve –
Empty the water out of your jars, fill to ¼” of the top. Wipe the rims with a new damp paper towel, removing any spilled jam, especially on the rim.
Place a lid on top and tighten a band around each jar, place them into a pot of boiling water, using a canning rack to lower in. Make sure all jars are upright and that jars are fully submerged, with at least 2″ of water above..
Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Take out carefully using a jar lifter or tongs. Have a clean kitchen towel on the counter, place each jar on it and let cool for at least 6 hours, overnight is better. Listen for the “popping sound” and keep track of how many times you hear it. Check after cooling that the lid is firm when pressed on, if it pops up and down, it isn’t sealed. If that happens, refrigerate that jar and use within a couple of weeks.
Once cooled, store the jars in a pantry for up to 12 months. Once opened, store in the refrigerator and use up within 3 weeks.
Made 7 8-ounce jars and 6 4-ounce jars total.