How to Make Strawberry Jam with Whole Berries: Recipes

The berries stand out; it's easier to scoop them out with a spoon than to spread them on bread. Some housewives believe that making strawberry jam is easier, since the key is to chop the berries to achieve a uniform texture. Jam, however, is different. The berries are beautiful and stand out. They are carefully picked out and eaten separately, reminiscing about the hot summer. How do you make strawberry jam so that all the berries are whole and undamaged? What helps them retain their shape? A secret ingredient? A thickener or stabilizer? But most recipes are simple. So, the secret is different, and it's worth understanding it, as well as learning how to prepare it. strawberry jam for the winter.

Strawberry jam for the winter with whole berries

What you will need:

The classic recipe for full-fledged, natural strawberry jam requires only:

• strawberries - 900 g;
• sugar (sand is needed) - 700 gr.

Preparation:

It's important to remember that you want jam, not preserves. The fruit is softened in preserves, and the consistency is more uniform. It spreads easily. In preserves, the fruit (preferably) is whole, floating in the juice.

Sterilizing jars is easy. Wash the jars with soap, rinse, and then dry them with a towel. Then place them on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at medium heat. It won't take long—5 minutes is enough. There's no need to sterilize them ahead of time; the important thing is to pour the finished jam into warm, dry jars.

Calculating quantities. If you use 900 grams of strawberries, you'll get two full 0.5-liter jars. This is normal; novice cooks should experiment with smaller quantities, although larger preserves also require smaller portions. When you're making a lot of jam, it takes much longer to cook—while it boils and heats up. Moreover, the boiling time saps a lot of the flavor and beneficial properties.

Rinse the strawberries, then pat dry using regular paper towels (which you don't mind getting dirty). Once dry, sort through them, removing stems and any rotten berries.

Remember, metal can oxidize, so use an enamel or ceramic pot for cooking. Place the strawberries directly on the bottom (of the bowl or saucepan) and sprinkle with sugar. Then let them sit overnight, allowing the berry juice to soak in the sugar. Stir gently with a wooden spoon. The sugar will also help firm up the berries.

Before cooking, place a regular plate in the freezer and chill. These are separate, test plates. Turn the heat to low and add the jam. Let the sugar gradually dissolve. Instead of stirring, gently shake the pan. The sugar should be completely dissolved before the first boil. Check this by carefully dipping a spoon into the pan. The surface should be free of sugar crystals.

Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat until it reaches a vigorous boil, add a large lemon, and set a timer for 8 minutes. Then remove the pan and pour a teaspoon of jam onto a chilled plate. Let it cool and check the mixture. If wrinkles remain and the liquid doesn't leak out, it's ready. If not, boil for another 3 minutes and test again. Continue until done.

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Don't pour the finished jam right away, otherwise all the strawberries will float. Let it sit hot for about 15 minutes. That's it, time to pour into dry, warm jars.

A couple of secrets

The amount is calculated each time; the key is getting the ratio of sugar to berries right. Some like it sweeter, others prefer less. A successful jam is one where the strawberries float untouched, the berries are whole, and the syrup is not too thick, bright, even almost clear. Is this difficult to achieve? Yes, the key is patience; the jam requires a long period of aging and careful attention to the cooking intervals for the strawberry mixture. The overall preparation will take a fair amount of time, but the results are worth it!

Buy only natural, homegrown berries. They're easier to find during the season, when strawberries are plentiful and gardeners are trying to sell their surplus. Often, "private entrepreneurs" will openly appear on the road and sit with buckets or jars of fresh berries. Buy them there or explore the nearest market. Strawberry season is considered to be June (all of June) and early July, depending on the climate.

First, rinse the berries, then dry them using paper towels (they will be disposable, the berries release a lot of juice, it cannot be washed off), and then start removing the leaves.

Monitor the cooking process, skimming off any foam promptly. This will require 3-4 separate, short cooking sessions (5-10 minutes each). The size and number of jars are unimportant; simply make sure there's enough room for all the jam. Sterilization of both the jars and their lids is essential.