I use the pectin method that uses calcium to activate the jam instead of sugar. I love the taste of the jam without too much sugar added – the berries are plenty sweet as they are! We’ve been loving making biscuits or toast in the mornings and spreading our strawberry and blueberry jam on them. I’ve even been giving some smaller jars as gifts!
Combine ½ tsp of monocalcium phosphate from your box of Pomona’s Universal Pectin with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well and set aside 1.5 tsp of the mixture, and store the rest in the refrigerator for future use.
After you’ve washed, hulled, and sliced your strawberries, mash them up with a fruit crusher. Then measure 3 cups of mashed strawberries into a saucepan.
Add the 1.5 tsp of calcium water that you set aside in Step 1 and the lemon juice to your saucepan and mix well.
Measure 1 cup of sugar into a bowl and add 1.5 tsp of low-methoxyl pectin from your box of Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add the pectin-sugar mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from heat.
Fill glass or ceramic jars with jam and use within 3 weeks. You can also freeze jars, but make sure to leave plenty of room for expansion if you’re freezing. Use within three weeks of thawing and opening frozen jam.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Strawberry Jam
Amount Per Serving (2 tbsp)
Calories 24Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 2mg0%
Potassium 26mg1%
Carbohydrates 6g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 2IU0%
Vitamin C 10mg12%
Calcium 3mg0%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.