Ah, strawberry season. The best time of the year! Time for strawberry shortcakes, strawberries in my Greek yogurt and homemade old fashioned strawberry jam. Last time I was thumbing through my Great Grandmother’s old recipe box I noticed her hand-written strawberry jam recipe and just knew I needed to give it a try. And so I did. And now I will never go back to any other recipe…this one is the “berry” best out there!
This old fashioned strawberry jam recipe was amazing. It was so easy to make, and had a perfect texture. Plus it doesn’t use Pectin!! Did you know you don’t need to use pectin in homemade jam making? Neither did I until now. Pectin isn’t necessarily bad for you but I would way rather make it the old fashioned way and let the natural pectin in the fruit do the work. Plus I prefer a softer jam to a more gelatinous one.
Have you noticed that all jam recipes always call for an insane amount of sugar? I’ll admit that is shocks me every time. This recipe does have all that sugar too, but the ending result is worth every sugary spoonful. I love the 3 simple ingredients – fresh strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Doesn’t get much simpler that that.
This recipe is my new favorite strawberry jam recipe. Why? Because I am a huge fan of freezer jam, and this tastes just about the same, like fresh strawberries. It has the same consistency of freezer jam but I don’t have to store it in my freezer. I need all the freezer space I can get for my freezer meals. This strawberry jam is canned using the hot water bath canning method, so I can store it in my pantry.
Old Fashioned Strawberry Jam Without Pectin
First you will want to wash your jars and lids in some hot soapy water. Place the center lids of your jars in a small saucepan and cover with water, bringing it to a simmer without boiling.
Next wash and remove stems from strawberries and puree them or mash the up depending on the consistency of jam you like. I went ahead and pureed mine. Stir in sugar and let sit for 2 hours.
Add strawberry mixture to a large pot and bring to a slow boil over medium heat, stirring often. Turn heat up to medium high and let strawberries boil rapidly for 5 more minutes.
Update: Some of you have mentioned in the comments about the jam being runny. Gene, a happymoneysaver reader emailed me and said that if you take the boil to 220 degrees F using a candy thermometer it comes out perfectly set. Haven’t tried this myself…but wanted to let you know this may be a great thing to try.
Add in lemon juice and stir. Boil for 5 more minutes and remove from heat.
Pour the delicious strawberry jam into the clean jars, making sure to wipe the rim with a wet washcloth to remove any jam that may prevent the lid from sealing. Or just grab a spoon and start digging in…it is so very tempting. 🙂
Remove center lids from simmering water and add to the tops of the jars then place on lid rings and set aside. At this point you can add jars to a large water bath canner and boil for 10 minutes.
For small batch canning like salsa, syrups and jams, etc. I prefer to use my Ball® Home Canning Discovery Kit. This little contraption is so nice because I can use a large pot instead of pulling out my gigantic canner. The little basket that it comes with it can only do 3 jars at a time but for small batches it’s perfect. It is especially perfect for the beginner canner. I have been very happy with it.
Just place jars in the basket, lower basket into a pot of boiling water, put the lid on the pot and boil for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes is up, using the handle of the Ball® Home Canning Discovery Kit, pull basket out of water, place jars on a counter away from small hands, and let cool.
If jars seal, you will hear a loud popping sound. It’s pretty much my favorite part about canning. I don’t know why. All you canners out there, you understand don’t you? If a jar does not seal, put it in your fridge and eat it up in the next couple weeks. This recipe made about 10 half pint jars for me.
Thank you Great Grandma Munn for this wonderful recipe. I will be making this one for many years to come.
Below is the printable version of this recipe for you!
Old Fashioned Strawberry Jam
Instructions
- Wash strawberries and remove the stems.
- Chop, mash or puree strawberries and stir in the sugar. Let sit for 2 hours.
- Add strawberry mixture to a large pot and cook slow over medium heat until it boils, stirring often. Then turn up the heat to med-high and boil fast for 5 more minutes or until candy thermometer says 220 degrees F.
- Add in lemon juice and stir. Boil 5 minutes longer.
- Pour jam into clean jars and add lids. Place in a hot water bath canner and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from water and let cool to room temperature. Store in a cool dry place for up to 1 year.
Notes
Makes about 10 half pint jars of jam.
I followed this recipe except I didn’t see where it said to let the mixture sit for two hours. Did I just ruin my canned jam??
I just followed this recipe yesterday with fresh-picked NC strawberries!
I thought I followed the instructions accurately, but the end result is too runny.
I made two separate batches too. I’m not sure if I wait the full 24-48 hours and see if it thickens a little? I read other blogs that stated I can reheat, add more sugar and pectin and then go through the canning process again. Not sure if I want to go through that trouble. The flavor is delicious but just not thick enough. It’s so disappointing after all that work.
I have made apple butter, applesauce and BBQ sauce to can, but this is amazing! I cut the sugar by half a cup and added a tbsp of vanilla. It’s like putting strawberry candy on your toast. I don’t think I can ever buy strawberry jam again. Thanks!
Can frozen strawberries be used?
it sounds great but can you use the white plastic jars that come with the canning jars
Thanks so much for this recipe. I’m new to canning and wanted to get started right away, but don’t have any pectin so I searched for this. I used my meat thermometer and my wife and I cheered when each jar pinged after being taken out of the bath. We tried a little that was leftover (I used 3 baskets of strawberries and ended up with 5.5 pint jars) and it’s insanely delicious- not too sweet at all. I can see myself using this one for years to come. Thanks again!
What is process time for pints
10 minutes unless you live at altitude then double processing time
I live in Mexico so I cant find the old style canning ketlltles. I can find Ball jars but they dont sell canning lids & rings. I would have to use jars I bought pickles in that have the small strip of rubber on the inside of lids. The lids that come on the Ball jars here are same style–1 piece lids. I want to try this recipe but not sure if it will turn out or if jars would seal. Any thoughts? Not sure if Ball jars sold here could take the high heat of boiling either. Comments?
Just use the ball small canning insert with any large pot you have that have that you can submerge so the jars are completely covered in water
DeeDee
Reusing lids from old jars may or may not work and, with a one piece lid you have no way of testing the seal. I would suggest skipping the water bath and keeping the jars refrigerated or make freezer jam.
The only time I have reused old jars was when canning with my mom and she would buy paraffin (canning wax) and pour wax in the top of the jar. tops of the jars had to be really clean to do this and you could still get some that would leak and spoil.
I’ve seen just the tops and rings sold online. Amazon was one site, that I remember. Good luck.
If I am using pint jars, do I add to the processing time in the canner?
okay i’ve tried this recipe twice and both times it was more like strawberry syrup then strawberry jam. my range is old so i’m thinking it’s not getting the jam warm enough even if it’s boiling. i don’t know. But could I let the jam simmer for a longer time to get it thicker? or add more sugar and keep boiling?
Can u make this in the microwave?
I haven’t tried that and I’m not sure how it would do. If you try it and it works let me know!
Our family loves this recipe and we’ve even made it with raspberries. We’re going to make it for years to come.
Can you double this recipe?
Yes you can!
Is it possible to use Splenda for those who are diabetics?
I haven’t tried splenda, not sure!
Sugar is necessary for this type of recipe. There’s a science behind it which I do not understand, but the sugar is part of the thickening process. Check out the recipes that use chia seeds to thicken the jam; they might work for you.
Wonderful post! You did an incredible job with this recipe! It’s delicious! My entire family loved it, thanks so much for this Karrie!
I just finished making this , so i have not had a chance to try it yet- just wanted to say that i got 6 smaller jars out of this recipe, it is a good idea, i think, to go back to some of the ways our grandparents prepare some foods- no pectin is a saving, and i think that the less additives the better.
Thank you for the recipe. This was the first time I’d ever made jam and the recipe worked really well for me. The consistency was – to my surprise – fantastic and it tastes great. The only problem is that it’s too sweet for my tastes. When I make it next time, I’ll use much less sugar – maybe four over even three cups instead of five.
Just know that if you use less sugar it will not thicken properly
Hello,
I want to try this recipe because it is pectin free. In the past I used pectin and froze the jam, it lasted me all year and was delicious.
Can I freeze this recipe?
Getting ready to cook, would appreciate a response asap.
Thank you!
Yes you can freeze this! 🙂
I boiled this to 220 F and was delighted with the flavor and consistency (I’d also thrown in a vanilla bean and the scent was gorgeous!) so I went ahead and poured it into the jars. Then I realized I’d forgotten to add the lemon juice. So I dumped it all back into the pot with the juice and boiled for 5 minutes and then canned it again. But the flavor of the lemon has overpowered that of the berries and vanilla. Sigh! I have lots more berries so I’ll try again with a different acidic agent.
Thank you for this great starting point recipe. I love having my grandmothers’ recipe boxes too! They’re very special to me ?