Well, I missed strawberry season (everything was early in 2010), so had to use frozen to make some last year. I used homemade apple pectin and it was a little runny (but we like it chunky and runny). I guess it depends on when you want it - fresh is better, frozen berries will be mushier and they also lose their color, get a little gray. You don't need a FP for strawberries (or any berries) - just cook down the berries with sugar (for fresh berries let them sit in the sugar a few hours or overnight to let the juices start flowing, strawberries halve or quarter depending on how big they are and how you like them). Since you want to use boxed pectin, just follow the directions on the box (which may say to add the pectin to the sugar, so you won't be able to macerate the berries first). Depending on whether it is low/no-sugar pectin or regular, you may have to add a minimum amount of sugar instead of doing it to taste.

I do want to use pectin when I make it. Should I wait until strawberry season rolls around and freeze them (I read something like that in an older post) or just go ahead and buy some at the store?

Ball makes a great no-sugar pectin that I have come to depend on (you can add sugar to taste with it) and I have used it with store bought fresh berries as well as frozen mixed strawberries and blueberries with excellent results. Just follow the directions in the package.

I would agree that your best tasting results will come from using fresh berries but the other forms can tide you over till then very well.

If you want to use regular dried pectin then the NCHFP recipe linked below works well. It is just too sweet for me.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Strawberry Jam with powdered pectin

This will probably not be enough information but if you want really good tasting strawberry jam, I recommend going the old fashioned route. I copied this off another post, but this is how I like to do it.

Christine Ferber's recipe paraphrased

2 1/2 pounds (1.1Kg) small strawberries or 2 1/4 lbs (1Kg) after hulling
4 cups /850g sugar
Juice of 1 small lemon

Wash and dry the strawberries and hull them.
Macerate with the sugar and lemon juice covered in the refrigerator overnight.
Next day bring to a simmer, then cool and refrigerate again overnight.
On the third day drain off the syrup and boil the syrup over high heat in a preserving pan until it reaches 221F (setting point).
Add the partly cooked strawberries and return to boil over high heat, Skim and boil for no more than 5 minutes, stirring gently. Check set. Place into jars and seal immediately.

Brad, buying berries in the frozen stage can make for an expensive product when you've finished your jam. Buying fruit in season might be a better way to go - use what's readily available presently, whatever that is will be the best price. Locally right now, that is not strawberries, blueberries, raspberries....yikes, the prices on those little containers, and it's another 6-8 weeks before California berries will be available to us in the stores fresh.

I pick wild berries and freeze same day for making jams, pies later. If picking wild isn't an option for you, a U-pick farm (can make for a fun morning) followed by a Farmers Market are two other good choices.

Just me, but of all the jams or jellies I've made, strawberries will be the one that will give me a setting problem if I'm going to have one. I don't make it without additional pectin.

What's the hurry to make jam now? Wait til something is in season if you can. Though I just bought frozen strawberries today ($2.40/lb) b/c DD is tired of apple butter, blackberry jam and paradise jelly so begged for more strawberry. My kids are spoiled now, don't want store-bought jelly or spaghetti sauce (though I can sneak Pace salsa into the chili so I can conserve my precious Annie's!).

As far as racks go, I tried the dish towel (floated up), rings (jelly jars tipped, might work for widemouth pints of you use regular rings as "rack"). I did most of my first batches without anything in the bottom, didn't break any jars. Then I bought a Ball Discovery kit (plastic basket, holds 3 pints or 3-4 jelly jars). Then I found a round wire cake rack - works OK, just can't leave it in the water afterwards b/c it rusts. Was considering a perforated pizza crisper but my canner is only 10" inside diameter. Found an aluminum rack with random holes (old PC rack?) at Goodwill.

I would use a very shallow aluminum pie pan, punch holes in it. Cake pan has nice straight sides but you'd have to turn it upside down and punch holes from bottom so may be too deep for your canner. I wouldn't use disposable foil pie plate b/c the weight of the filled jars would crush it.

I'm in no rush, I just like to plan ahead so I know what I need to be ready. What is paradise jelly? I've never heard of it. I may have to check Goodwill too. That rack does sound like a pressure canner rack from your description.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

If you really want to try something now, a marmalade may be a good bet. Citrus is in season now - even though it doesn't grow in PA, you should be able to get good fresh citrus if you go to a store that specializes in fresh produce.

Or if you know someone who's coming back from vacation in FL soon!

Paradise jelly is apple, quince, and cranberry. I was lucky enough to have a neighbor give me a boatload of quinces and heirloom Golden Delicious apples this fall. Had to buy cranberries at the grocery store.

What did you use for a rack when you did the peaches and grape jelly (I made 1 jar of grape jelly for DD too, with grocery store red grapes and apple pectin - might have to make another jar when I do the strawberries).

Pixie, I just watched a couple of videos about making marmalade and it looks somewhat easy! Although, I don't think anyone here at home likes marmalade. Thanks for the suggestion though!

Ajsmama, I used the rack that came with my canner and the jars didn't want to sit right in it. The paradise jelly sounds like it has a unique flavor! The grape jelly recipe we did (from the Ball Blue Book) called for unsweetened grape juice. Let us know when you make the jam!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

The problem with most BWB canning racks is that the smaller 8- and 12-oz. jars are prone to fall through between the wire framework. Either that or they're "tippy."

If you don't mind spending the money, Kitchen Krafts offers a stainless rack exclusive to them. It's designed to avoid jars falling through and also lacks the dividers so you can fit more jars on.

This is one size. They actually offer three, including an extra-large size not listed on this page.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Stainless Mini Canning Rack

I'm thinking of making strawberry jam sometime soon (not before the end of the month *if* I get a food processor)

The food processor is redundant for most jams. Jams are chunky and if you run fruits like peaches or strawberries through one, you'll get a puree an that will make for a product more similar to a cloudy jelly. You want the chunks of fruit for jams and conserves/preserves.

I was at Wal-Mart today with mom and I saw the old fashioned type of potato masher (the one with the serpentine design) there in the utensils aisle. They had plenty of blueberries and blackberries in the produce section. I did see a nice food processor that interested me but I don't know if I'll get one. I still have lids, bands and jars left, so I know I don't need those. Mom said there's even an unopened box of pectin. Does pectin expire?

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Yes, pectin expires, and if you want to mash berries the potato masher with the grid-type (round disk with many holes) end works better than the "S" type. In fact, I like that type better for potatoes too. Strawberries cook down so much, and you probably want more of a chunky preserve-type jam, not a set puree someone described as "cloudy jelly" so if you can macerate the berries you can just cook them and smash them against the side of the pot with the spoon.

I haven't made blueberry jam (wild blueberries too precious!), but the potato masher I described works well for blackberries. If you have a fine-mesh sieve, you may want to strain some of the seeds out of the cooked blackberries before you add pectin or cook longer to gel. The type of potato masher you describe will do *nothing* to small berries - you'll just get frustrated chasing them around the pot. You don't need a FP for any kind of
berry.

Our Walmart still has pectin (never went on sale).

I personally do not like "chunks" in my jam at all, so I use an immersion blender on all my fruit jam. After I heat the fruit or berries, just put the blender in the pot, and a minute later you have a great puree.

Ever since I got the stick blender, I rarely use my food processor any more. So depending on what other intended uses you have for the FP, you may want to consider an immersion blender instead, especially if your predominant intended use was jam. It's quite a bit cheaper.

We do have one of those potato mashers but it's not a strong metal. I may have to get another one. I do have a fine mesh sifter but it's very small. Couldn't I run it through the berries when they're in the pot and, once it was full, hold it over a bowl to let it drain?

I don't think I'll get the food processor then. Ajsmama has a much cheaper method! lol I'll have to add pectin to the shopping list.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

You really don't have to mash them much, don't need strong masher (like you do for potatoes) b/c berries are soft and you cook the heck out of them to make jam w/o pectin (don't have to cook quite as long if using pectin, but you still should be able to cook them til they're soft). Esp. if you're going to push them through a sieve/sifter. I would ladle the hot (let it cool a little) blackberry mixture into the sifter/sieve, then push the berry pulp through with a spoon to try to get seeds out (I guess if you use a sifter you just squeeze the handle) - can do it over a separate bowl or right back into the pot. If you use pectin you'll want to do this b4 adding the pectin b/c it will take a little time. But this isn't even necessary - depends on how seedy your berries are or if you like "seedless" jam (can't guarantee you'll get them all).

If you just let it drip you'll be waiting a long time, and essentially be making cloudy jelly. If you want clear jelly use a cloth in the sieve, or hang a bag/tied up cloth with the cooked berries over a pot overnight. There are lots of recipes on this forum, in cookbooks, and on NCHFP if you want to make jam or jelly.

Brad, removing some seeds can depend on the berry - the native blackberry here are fine with the seeds left in for jams and pies - not that you might never need floss after eating but no one complains :) Many commercial berries have been hybridized to minimize seeds.

Just to add to above comments, if you want clear jelly you can hang in homemade cheesecloth 'bag'. I have jelly frame stands with reusable bags now, but for a long time I just used cheesecloth (wetted and wrung out so they don't absorb your precious juice), hung from my cabinet knobs. I thought it was a pretty original idea - shows you what I knew, there are photos of just that on the web :)

No cheating and poking or squeezing cheesecloth to hurry it up or your product won't be clear. The recipe that will be included inside your pectin box will lead you through and be fine to use.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I meant to say sieve. Whoops! I never thought of using a flour sifter. It would be cheaper than getting one of those food mills. I found recipes at this one website all about canning and preserving. It's called Pick Your Own and it's really neat!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Here is a link that might be useful: Pick Your Own

I haven't tried the flour sifter (didn't want to try to clean it!), but the Foley I got at Goodwill has too coarse a screen for blackberries - works on apples. I use a fine-mesh sieve for the berries, I got a big one for $5 at Job Lot to make seedless jam for my niece. When making jelly I use a clean piece of muslin (finer weave than cheesecloth), lay it in a colander set in the (clean!) sink or pan, pour boiling water through to dampen/steriize, then put the colander inside a Dutch oven I use as preserving pan, pour the hot fruit/juice into it. Then move the whole thing to the top of my washer (I have a wire shelf above), lift the corners of the cloth and twist into a "bag", secure the ends on a wooden pants hanger (the kind with clips) and let it all drip overnight. I leave the colander in place so that if the cloth slips out of the clip(s) I don't have a big splash mess and have to strain fruit out of the pan again, and clean the walls/floor. HTH

I wonder if the old fashioned kind of flour sifter would work (the kind with the crank handle). I think they would work better for berries. Thanks for the tips!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Brad - take care with using recipes from that source. For jams and jellies it is fine as they are generally safe but if you get into canning other foods it isn't an always safe source of info.

NCHFP is the recognized authority for home food preservation info and I linked the section of jams and jellies below - lots of recipes and great basic how-to info.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Jams & Jellies

I also got two recipes (Blackberry and Strawberry Jam) from the Sure Jell/Certo website. They should be safe to use too since pectins come with recipes in the box.

Dave, a berry jam is all I want to make right now. Thanks for the link! Some of those recipes look really easy! One thing bothers me: the processing time that they list. Whereas in the Ball Blue Book it says for most jams and jellies to process for 10 minutes.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Recipes vary on processing times depending on if you use sterilized jars and lids or not.

Some recipes call for sterized jar and lids, others do not. Fruits that don't hold up to processing heat as well will often require sterilized jars and shorter processing times.

If you pre-sterilize the jars and lids by boiling for 10 mins then 5 mins processing is safe. Many prefer to skip the hassle of sterilizing and just process for 10 mins.

Guideline is that anything that is processed for 10 mins or longer doesn't require the use of sterilized jars and lids.

Ball Blue Book and the other approved publications as well as the recipes found in the pectin boxes are all based on NCHFP guidelines. USDA/NCHFP does the testing and is the industry-wide recognized authority on food preservation.

Dave

Ah, now I understand. When mom and I canned before, we just washed the jars in hot soapy water and lids right before we canned. The jars if I remember correctly, still were hot when we filled them. Thanks for clearing that up for me, Dave!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Full-sugar acid jams and jellies are safe regardless of whether the processing time is none, five minutes or ten minutes. The issue is faster degradation of quality and increased risk of mold.

So you could, if you wish, just wash jars and process 5 minutes. But the point is, after doing all that work, why risk losing a jar or two by short-changing on the processing procedures?

The "10 minutes minimum - no sterilization required" Dave mentions is a handy rule-of-thumb to keep in mind as it applies to any canned product.

Generally only no-commercial-pectin jellies are processed 5 minutes, as they are delicate and longer processing can break the gel.

Carol

Hi Carol,

Thanks for the tip! Our first time canning was a couple years ago and when we soaked the lids in hot water, the gum got very sticky and they were hard to handle. Good thing is that they stuck to the jars and we used a lid wand!

Let me see if I've got it straight: Just wash the jars, lids and bands, fill them up with jam and process for 10 minutes in the canner.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Here's the update on strawberry jam with frozen strawberries (decided to make it today since my back hurts from shoveling so I can't do anything else around the house).

I used 20 oz of frozen berries, thawed them in low preserving pan (my 6qt Dutch oven has soup in it). Ball no-sugar pectin box said need 4C of fruit, about 4 lb of strawberries. I didn't think 1C = 1 lb so I measured a couple of cups (liquid measure) of frozen berries (so lots of air space) and that was about half, so said fine, let's say there are 2C in the 20 oz weight. Mashed them, added 6.75 oz juice box of apple-cranberry (Apple & Eve, unsweetened), 2C of frozen blackberries, heated, and gradually stirred in the pectin per package directions. It didn't foam, it was hard to tell when it got to a "rolling boil" since I was stirring it to keep from sticking. But it was splattering all over, so I think I got it hot enough.

Removed from heat, gradually stirred in 1C of sugar, put back on the heat and tried to boil for 3 min but again hard to tell, I stopped stirring for a minute and it started sticking, but no foam or bubbles. Removed from heat, got the jars out of the canner (sterilized since they were room-temp and needed to heat anyway). The jam started to skin over b4 I even got 6 jars out, I filled 4 halfpints and the last one was gummy. I put that one in the fridge and processed the other 3 for only 5 minutes. The 4 lb of strawberries was supposed to make "3 to 5 half pints", the generic 4C of fruit, 1C of juice, and 1 package of pectin said 4 to 6.

I tasted the spoon, could use more sugar - maybe I'm used to full-sugar (or almost full - I use 3/4C per 1C fruit when I make no-pectin jam). Also could use lemon juice - flavor seems flat, I didn't add any since package said strawberries/blackberries didn't need any, but again I always add it to my blackberry jam anyway. We'll see how the texture of the cooled one is later, and the processed ones maybe next month. But I think I got a better product using frozen strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and homemade apple pectin.

Couple things

(I realize this is terribly late but just in case you're still wondering...)

A potato masher would work well for mashing as would a mortar and pestle. But a great option that's super cheap is putting on a pair of rubber or latex gloves (if you don't want to have stained hands) and using your fingers. Most recipes warn against using food processors because it can break down the natural pectin in the berries or other fruit. Frankly, I still use mine but I don't over do it. Just a couple pulses will do you. I wash, core, and halve them before I put them in. Again, don't over do it if you're using a food processor... your fruit chunks may still look big to you but by the time you're done it won't be very chunky.

I can't remember if you said you live in Boise or not but if you aren't particularly sourcing local berries you can get a great deal on strawberries at Cash & Carry.

Also, I try to estimate best I can and buy what I need in season. If I have left overs or just want extra to freeze for a better price and perfect ripeness I buy extra, wash and drain, place on a sil-pat or parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze. Once solid pack into Ziploc freezer bags, glass jars, or whatever you freeze things in and then you can use that fruit for cobblers, pies, ice cream, whatever you want but if you run out of jam you'll have it later on.

Last but not least the formula for liquid pectic changed sometime (before canning season) last year 2010 or sometime in 2009 and it didn't set well at all. It was more or less fruit syrup. If you tried that you might give powdered a try. Keep in mind tho that many fruits contain enough pectin to gel on their own and the addition of lemon juice, especially bottled (but really, yuck!), will help firm up your jam. An even better natural option is the peel (zest and/or pith) of citrus fruits.

Btw, a good combination is strawberry peach.

How long will mixed berry jam to set?

I made some jam with a mix of frozen and fresh fruit, it ended up really stiff with hard chewy bits. I know I overcooked it, but are the chewy bits the frozen berries (maybe freezer-burnt from a year's storage?), or are they the fresh berries that got overcooked trying to get the mixture to gel temp?

I did let most of the frozen berries thaw in the pan with the fresh and a couple cups of sugar until I could get out to the store and buy more sugar, but then when I got home I added frozen fruit (only 1/3 of the total, so 1C left to thaw and 1C put in frozen later) and the rest of the sugar. THEN dissolved the sugar on Medium, thought that would have thawed that last cup of berries too, before bringing to a boil. No pectin added.

How long will mixed berry jam to set?

Depends on the recipe used and the type of pectin used, if any? Some no-pectin jams can take up to 6 weeks to set.

Dave

Hi, I have found that using 'Pamona' brand pectin seems to work the best and it can be used for low sugar, no sugar, and even honey which the sure jell cannot. Also you can adjust your amount of sugar to your taste. (if you are selling your jams you need to meet the Federal requirements of 55%).

I also use a round potato masher rather than a food processor, I don't know why but the processor seems to lead to more froth on the top that I have to skim.

Oh and a note on the blueberries, Make sure they are fresh if you are using them whole, as you smash them up, if they are not fresh the skins become like tough piece of cardboard that just float to the top of the jar, I usually cook them down, smash them and remove the large pieces from the jam before canning.

I am loving this forum!

Here is a link that might be useful: LunaGrown