Homemade Sure Jell Strawberry Jam Recipe

Make tasty Sure-Jell Strawberry Jam at home with this recipe by using Sure Jell. Ideal for newbies, this recipe promises a sweet, sour jam always.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Servings Jars

Calories 854

Fill a big pot halfway with water and heat until the water simmers. This will save you some time when you are ready to sanitise the jars.
Wash jars and the lids in hot, soapy water and rinse with warm water. I usually look at each jar for any chips or cracks before sealing it right later on.
Place the jars flat in the hot water we prepared before. Cover the lid and boil the jars for at least a few minutes to sanitize them properly.
Once boiling is done, remove the jars from the water with a tongue and place them on a flat surface to cool them.
Make sure you do not touch the inside of the jars to prevent bacteria from going inside again. Be very careful when doing this step because the jars will be super hot

Remove stems and crush strawberries thoroughly one layer at a time. To ensure even texture I use a potato masher at this stage.
For smoother jam, pulse strawberries using a food processor, but be careful not to puree them entirely—some small chunks should remain for texture.
Measure off exactly five cups of prepared fruit into a saucepan. Accurate measurement is important if you want your jam to have just the right consistency when cooked. Too much fruit could cause jam not to set up properly.

Put the saucepan on a stove and start with medium heat
Add pectin to the fruit in your saucepan while stirring constantly. I prefer sprinkling my pectin evenly over the strawberries of my pot as it helps avoid any clumping of pectin together with them.
Add butter, which helps reduce foaming. By adding some butter, you make skimming foam from your mixture an easy job.
Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. A full rolling boil is that which doesn’t stop bubbling even after stirring and this is very important for activating pectin.
Then, gradually add 3 cups of sugar to the mixture, stirring continuously to fully dissolve it, and return it to a boil.
Make sure you boil the mixture for at least 1-2 minutes; this will kill all the bacteria also, thus making it last longer. Keep an eye on it and adjust the heat to prevent boiling over.
Remove the pot from heat after 1-2 minutes. If necessary, skim the foam with a metal spoon. I like collecting foam in a small bowl nearby and tasting the warm jam!

Ladle hot jam into prepared jars at once, filling to within ¼ inch of tops. This headspace is needed for proper sealing. You can use a canning funnel to make this step cleaner and easier. But make sure you sanitize the canning funnel too.
Wipe jar rims clean using a damp cloth to remove any food residue that might be remaining on them. This ensures a good seal. Cover with two-piece lids; screw bands tightly.
Place the jars in the hot water pot again to sterilize them again. Add some more water and make sure the water level is at least one to two inches above the jars. Cover the pan with a lid and boil for at least 10 minutes to fully sensitize them. I set a timer and use this time to clean up my workspace.

Remove from the hot water pot, and set aside uprightly on a dry towel until they completely cool. Then, stand at room temperature before refrigerating. Avoid putting them on cold surfaces like marbles or tiles because they may break.
Check if seals have formed by pressing down on the lids in the center. If it springs back that means it’s not sealed properly and must be refrigerated.