Making Strawberry Preserves

The idea of canning jam or preserves is overwhelming to some.  But, it doesn’t need to be. You just need to put your jars and lids into the oven or into simmering water to keep sterile until you are ready. When the jam is ready, pour into the jar, put the lid on and process in boiling water. Follow the easy recipe here.

By the way, do you know the difference between preserves and jam?  The answer lies in the size of the fruit chunks.  Jam is made from crushed fruit pieces.  Preserves are made from whole fruit, or at least larger pieces.  Also, preserves can have less sugar, although that depends on the recipe.

For strawberry, I prefer preserves.  There is something wonderful about that whole chunk of strawberry on my biscuit.  Forget the rest, I just fish out the whole fruit piece.  Plus, if you’re the cook, there is less work- you use the fruit whole.
Strawberry Preserves
My grandmother made these preserves and sealed them with Parafin wax and some recipes still call for sealing them without processing.  This is no longer recommended. Please take the time to process your jellies and preserves for food safety.

4 cups strawberries, washed and capped.
1 cup water
4 cups sugar
Sterilized Jars, lids, and rings ( makes 2-3 pints)

1. Wash jars in hot water with detergent and rinse well, or wash in the dishwasher.  Place clean jars in boiling water to cover and boil for 10 minutes.  Keep hot while you prepare the Preserves.
2. Prepare the lids and rings according to manufacturers recommendations.
3. Combine water and sugar.  Cook until it reaches soft ball stage or 235 degrees F on the candy thermometer.  (See below for more info on the “soft-ball” stage.)
4. Add the strawberries and cook over high heat for 15 minutes.  Skim off foam while cooking.
5. Put into sterilized jars, leaving approximately ¼ inch of headspace (air).  Wipe rim and threads with a damp paper towel to remove any sticky sugar residue and seal lids.  Tighten lids, but do not over-tighten. Put partially filled jars into fridge to use immediately.
6. Place the jars in the canner with the jar rack installed. Cover them with boiling water by at least 1 inch. Bring the water back to a boil and process (boil) for 5 minutes. Boil for 10 minutes at altitudes above 1,000 ft. and 15 minutes above 6,000 ft. in altitude.
7. Remove the jars from the canner with jar tongs and place on a dry towel to cool.
8. After 12 to 24 hours, inspect the jars to be sure they sealed.  As they are cooling you may hear them “pop”.  This is a good sound- it means the vacuum has pulled the lid down.  Any jars that do not seal should be put in the fridge to use first.
9. Make biscuits cause you know you want some!!!

NOTES: “Soft-Ball” stage is reached at 235° F.  When a small bit of the syrup is dropped into cold water to cool it down, it will form a soft ball or drop on the bottom of the bowl.  You can squish the ball with your fingers, it will be soft.  Prior to the soft-ball stage the syrup will just go to the bottom of the bowl making a mess.

For the best results and most accuracy, I recommend that you use both a candy thermometer and the cold water test. It’s also a good idea to test your thermometer’s accuracy by placing it in plain boiling water. At sea level, it should read 212° F. If it reads above or below this number, make the necessary adjustments when cooking your syrup by adding or subtracting the difference to your thermometer reading. This is clumsy at first, but after a few times you’ll get the hang of it.

You need to keep the Preserves and jars very hot.  If you work slowly and are worried that the jars may have cooled too much—not to worry, just put them back into the boiling water and boil for another 10 minutes (keep the jars upright).  Be careful to prevent burning.  I usually leave the jar in the boiling water or oven until I am ready to fill it.

You do not need pectin (Sure-Jel) for this recipe.  You can make larger batches, however, it is best to work with small batches until you have a little experience.