Last week I made Strawberry butter courtesy of Aimee over at Simple Bites. She is a pro at preserving so I thought I would try her version of jam made with honey instead of sugar…brilliant!
It was easy to make and has such a beautiful berry and rhubarb flavour which comes through because of the glorious local honey!!
It was easy to make and has such a beautiful berry and rhubarb flavour which comes through because of the glorious local honey!!
Ingredients:
4 c strawberries, cleaned and hulled
4 c rhubarb, cut into 1″ pieces
1 cup honey (find some local honey at your farmer’s market)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 pkgs liquid pectin
4 c rhubarb, cut into 1″ pieces
1 cup honey (find some local honey at your farmer’s market)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 pkgs liquid pectin
1. Wash and sterilize your jars (I like to use small jars so I can give away a few different varieties!). After I wash them, I put them in a warm (300 degree) oven while I am prepping my jam…many websites will say that keeping the jars warm is enough to seal them without doing the water bath thing…more on that later!
2. Place a small pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Put the lids into the pot and keep at a low simmer while you prepare the jam (you want to keep the red rubber part gummy so it seals when you are ready)
3. Put the strawberries, rhubarb, honey, lemon juice into a large pot and cook over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes (I like to stir it with a potato masher to help break down the fruits.
4. Continue cooking as the mixture disintegrates and bubbles.
5. Take mixture off of the stove and stir in the 2 packages of pectin. Return to the heat and cook for another 5-7 minutes (skim off any foam that forms on the top).
6. Remove the jam from the heat and stir well (mixture will thicken a bit).
7. Ladle into jars (making sure you leave enough breathing room at the top and don’t get any jam (I mean, not even a drop) on the top of the jar that meets the lid…then it won’t seal!
8. Now place the lids that have been in the boiling water on top of each jar and screw the metal rings on top of the lids. If you leave them for about 5-7 minutes, they may seal (you will start to hear popping sounds…music to every canner’s ears!)…check by pushing down on the middle of the lid…if it is concave, it’s good. If not, continue with the water bath
6. Remove the jam from the heat and stir well (mixture will thicken a bit).
7. Ladle into jars (making sure you leave enough breathing room at the top and don’t get any jam (I mean, not even a drop) on the top of the jar that meets the lid…then it won’t seal!
8. Now place the lids that have been in the boiling water on top of each jar and screw the metal rings on top of the lids. If you leave them for about 5-7 minutes, they may seal (you will start to hear popping sounds…music to every canner’s ears!)…check by pushing down on the middle of the lid…if it is concave, it’s good. If not, continue with the water bath
9. For the jars that still need to seal, boil for about 10 minutes and lift out with a jar lifter (this is important…I tried to use metal tongs…not a good idea!). Place the boiled jars on a clean towel and cool completely. Store in a cool, dry place.** for more canning info, visit www.simplebites.net
