First, I want to thank you everyone for the kind words and well wishes in response to the big news in my last post. I loved reading every comment! Now, on to the jam.
This post isn’t just about strawberry jam. Yes, you’ll get a recipe for strawberry jam, and homemade jam is always special. But more than the jam, this post is about the experience that came before the jam. The strawberry picking.
When you go through life as a mother, you don’t really tend to think in the moment about what’s going to be memorable. You’re not usually aware of which experiences are going to be the ones that are ingrained in your memory forever. Yet, I already know that this experience is one of my all-time favorite days with Meghan and I will always remember it.
When I told her we were going to a farm, she immediately thought we would be checking out some animals. She associates farms with animals like cows and chickens, but didn’t realize that farms are also places where food is grown. So I explained to her that we’d be picking strawberries at the farm and she got excited. Really excited.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened on this particular strawberry-picking trip, but sometimes it is in the ordinary moments that we find the most beautiful memories. I just loved seeing her discover the joy of picking and eating fresh fruit. I loved her excitement with the whole experience. I loved every minute.
We visited the farm from where we have a CSA share and receive our weekly box of produce. It was great getting to meet the farmer who grows the food we eat every week. He was so passionate about his organic growing methods–I could have talked to him about it all day. Meghan, however, was much more interested in the strawberries.
It was a hot, hot day. Despite the unforgiving sun, we picked 5 quarts of strawberries. The farmer also gave us the green light to eat as we picked. They were so, so good, it was difficult to stop eating them. There is not much better than eating a fresh strawberry straight from the patch.
At one point I looked in Meghan’s container, and she had a handful of half-eaten strawberries. She was taking a bite or two and then putting them in her container. Oops!
When we got home, I knew I was going to make some jam. With peanut butter and jelly sandwiches being Meghan’s current favorite meal, it was a no brainer. 😉
Do you know how much sugar is in most recipes for homemade jam? An insane amount. Seriously. I knew I wouldn’t be making traditional homemade jam.
I actually made two batches, one with no added sugar, and one with a small amount of honey. They were both good, but the one with honey was a little better. You can’t go wrong either way.
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Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: Makes 2 8-ounce or 4 4-ounce containers 1x
Description
A fresh and delicious homemade jam
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed strawberries (~1–1.5 quarts)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice
- 1/3 cup honey or agave nectar (omit for no sugar added jam)
- 3 teaspoons “low or no sugar needed” pectin
Instructions
- You want to start by sanitizing and preparing your jars. Simply follow the package instructions. (For more details, see this article which helped me.) Then, hull and mash your strawberries.
You’ll need two cups.
You want them to be thoroughly mashed, but having pieces of strawberries in the jam is a good thing if you ask me!- Next, in a medium sauce pan, add the strawberries and apple juice. Gradually add in the pectin. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Make sure you have that mixture to a full boil, then add honey. Return the mixture to another full rolling boil and boil hard for a full minute, again stirring constantly. It’s really important to get that hard boil and keep it for a minute!
- Ladle the jam into hot jars (I had mine in a large stock pot of simmering water) and cover tightly. If you are preserving the jam, place them in a large stock pot (or canner if you have one) covered with 1-2 inches of water. Cover and bring to a steady, gentle boil. Allow to boil for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and let the jars stand an additional 5 minutes. Remove jars and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight to allow the jam to fully set.
- If preserved, the jam will keep for approximately 8 months. If you choose to not preserve, skip the boiling step and allow the jars to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring to refrigerator. Unpreserved jam will keep for approximately 3 weeks.
- I hope you get to go strawberry picking this year. If not for the jam, for the memories. Although the jam isn’t a bad reason, either. Enjoy! 🙂
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ounce
- Calories: 26
- Sugar: 6.3g
- Sodium: 6.6mg
- Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6.75g
- Protein: 1g
Can this recipe be used for other berries as well!?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not! You may need to adjust the sweetener amount if you use a tarter berry like raspberries.
Love this recipe! Was wondering if you could make this into freezer jam as well? If so, would you skip the boiling step, let it cool and pop it into the freezer?
Will the preserved jam really only keep 8 months? Is this dueto the low sugar content?
Yes, that is why.
I just made this jam with berries we picked yesterday. Normally I make the regular recipe for jam (with like 7 cups of sugar!) and was on a search for a healthier recipe. The consistency is not what I’m used to, in that it didn’t really gel. I just noticed the comments about the fridge though so just transferred to the fridge. Now does this mean it needs to remain in the fridge until eaten, even if in sealed jars? Normally I keep on the counter until it cools/ gels and then store in the pantry. Anxious and excited to see how it comes out!
I just made this jam with berries we picked yesterday. Normally I make the regular recipe for jam (with like 7 cups of sugar!) and was on a search for a healthier recipe. The consistency is not what I’m used to, in that it didn’t really gel. I just noticed the comments about the fridge though so just transferred to the fridge. Now does this mean it needs to remain in the fridge until eaten, even if in sealed jars? Normally I keep on the counter until it cools/ gels and then store in the pantry. Anxious and excited to see how it comes out!
I have just made this jam this evening. Like Jennifer, I’m also wondering how long it takes to set. It’s quite cool already and shows no sign of setting …
It should set overnight in the fridge.
Just tried this for the first time…how long does it take to set?
I’m sorry I missed this comment. The jam should set after refrigerating overnight. I will edit my post to clarify. 🙂
Tried out your recipe today with half agave and half honey and it turned out fantastic! Love it!
Thanks for letting me know! 🙂 I can’t wait to go strawberry picking this year to make some more.
Strawberries from the farm are so much tastier than from the store. Looks delicious!
I know; it’s crazy isn’t it? I dream about these strawberries!
I am so happy about this post!!! I wanted to make homemade jam with my kids but didn’t want the traditional jam recipes!!! I will have to remember to write this one down!!! I have great memories of picking strawberries with my mom as a child…I will never forget them!!!
Ok-first things first..CONGRATS!! Your little girl is going to LOVE being a big sister and helper to her mama 🙂
And second of all..I was looking for a strawberry jam recipe like this TODAY but couldn’t find one..answer to my prayers?? I think so!
Thank you so much, Ari! 🙂
I really think there is nothing better than a fresh ripe strawberry. We went to pick some last year and it was great, I can’t wait to do it again this year. It looks like you had a fantastic day, and it looks like Meghan did too. And you got some great pictures too! What an awesome memory 😀
Love the jam recipe too. I can’t stand full sugar jams anymore(why not just pour sugar on your toast, haha), but I love making them with no sugar or at least way reduced.
I can’t wait til my little guy is old enough to enjoy strawberry picking with me. 🙂 Meghan’s outfit is adorable!
Thank you! 🙂 The toddler years are definitely fun.
This is so cute!
I think that is one amazing thing about having children- you learn to see the world through different eyes again and appreciate the beauty of nature 🙂
Congrats on your pregnancy!!! I read your blog all the time, but don’t post (not sure why!) but I love them!!! I’m excited to follow your updates as well. I’ve never been to a strawberry farm but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so I think now I’ll look for a location near me!
Thank you so much, Brittany! You should definitely look for a farm with strawberries. It’s tons of fun and fresh strawberries are just delicious.
This is so precious! What a fabulous day you had to spend with your daughter 😀
And I must try that “no-sugar added” jam! I have to admit, I have never made jam before… have a HUG bag of frozen strawberries-do you think it would work with that?
Yep, I think frozen berries would work just fine! Let me know how it turns out if you decide to give it a try.
Aw what lovely pictures! And I totally know what you mean about wanting to cut down on the insane amounts of sugar most jam recipes call for… I want to at least PRETEND it’s sort of healthy haha
Well, if you use fresh berries, it’s a little healthy, right?!! 😉