Several weeks ago, I got up early on Saturday morning, collected my friend Shay (she’s my regular fruit-picking buddy) and drove half an hour out into the New Jersey countryside. We spent the rest of the morning in the field of Gaventa’s strawberry farm, crouching over the rows of plants, plucking handfuls of berries into our containers.
I stopped picked only when the back of my neck had turned a bright pink (I somehow only got sunscreen on my front, it made for an entertaining burn) and the knees of my jeans were stained red from kneeling on errant berries between the rows.
I brought home nearly 15 pounds of hard-earned berries (they were $1.35 a pound, I love how inexpensive things can be when you just invest a bit of your own labor). I washed and chopped nearly all of them (I kept about two quarts unchopped for plain old eating) within a couple of hours of getting them home.
I tossed approximately 10 overflowing cups of the processed berries with two cups of sugar and a broken-up vanilla bean and then tucked them into the fridge for a rest, so that they could get nice and vanilla-y. The rest I sugared (2 tablespoons sugar for every pound of cleaned and hulled berries) and froze in quart-sized yogurt containers.
I actually left the strawberries in the fridge for nearly two days before I got around to making jam. When it came time to cook the berries down, I fished the vanilla pieces out (squeezing out the vanilla seeds so that the jam was beautifully flecked) and then poured the berries and all the juice they had produced into my 10 quart stainless steel pot (this stuff foams, so give yourself plenty of room).
I added the rest of the sugar and then proceeded to cook the crap out of those berries (that’s the official term) in order to assure a good, jammy set.
Of all the jams I’ve made so far this year, this one is my very favorite. There’s something special about strawberry jam and when it’s scented with vanilla and so rich in color, it’s just that much more amazing. Get yourself some strawberries and make this jam. Or, if you don’t feel like making your own batch, I do have one half pint jar to give away. Leave a comment by Friday afternoon for a chance to win.
Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
- 10 cups of chopped strawberries preferably macerated with a split vanilla bean and two cups of sugar over night
- 7 cups of sugar 2 cups during maceration + 5 cups at the time of cooking
- 2 lemons zested and juiced
- 2 packets of liquid pectin that’s one box total
Instructions
- Fill your canning pot 2/3 with water and put on the stove to bring to a boil (I used a large stock pot for this much jam).
- Put berries, sugar and lemon zest/juice in a large pot and cook over medium high heat for about fifteen minutes. You want to really boil the fruit down so that they begin to look syrup-y. If you have an immersion blender, use it at this point to puree some of the fruit. If you don’t, use a blender to puree about half the jam (working in batches, you don’t want hot jam to splash you).
- Add the blended jam back to the whole fruit jam. Bring to a boil and squeeze in the pectin. At this point, there will be a bunch of foam on top of the jam. Skim the foam with a large spoon. Let boil for approximately ten minutes more, until the jam looks very syrup-y (when boiling, it should resemble boiling candy).
- Lay out your clean jars, you’ll need approximately five pints or 10 half pint jars. Put your lids in a saucepan of hot water in order to soften the sealing compound. Bring a kettle to a boil now as well, in case you need a bit more boiling water for your canning pot.
- Fill the jars. Wipe the rims with the edge of a towel dipped in boiling water. Top with lids and screw on rings. Put a rack or folded towel into the bottom of your canning pot (you don’t want the jars to be in direct contact with the bottom of your pot). Carefully lower the jars into the boiling water. You can stack them one on top of the other if need be.
- Process for ten minutes in the boiling water. When time is up, remove the jars from the water and put them on a towel on the counter. They should begin to ping fairly quickly, indicated that they’re sealed. If any of your jars don’t seal, make sure to refrigerate them.
I can’t get the sound out of my head now of Michelle Shocked singing “we were making jam….Strawberry jam! Well, if you want the best jam, you’ve got to make your own.” I’m going to try going picking this weekend.
Yay for strawberry picking!
This made me ask my mom for all her old canning jars, but sadly he gave them away last year! I am so sad! It looks so yummy I need to try some! I’m sad I can’t make your next jam class, might you be offering private lessons?
Oh, what a bummer, Wendy! I am actually thinking about having a jam party at my place. I’ll let you know!
Of all the jams you’ve listed on here, this one sounds the most amazing! I’d love to get my hands on a jar!
Thanks Tim!
Must. Make. Jam.
Indeed!
Oh, vanilla beans in strawberry jam. How divine. I haven’t made strawberry jam in years. As soon as the fresh strawberries are ready to pick here in northern MN, I will be out gathering and will come home to make this beautiful jam. Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure!
How could I say no to strawberry jam? and with vanilla, no less! Sounds like a heavenly combination.
Yoko, it’s so yummy!
hmmm, I don’t recall my mom ever adding vanilla to strawberry jam. Well, she’s been reading your blog, so maybe she will try it this year?
Fran, I hope she does!
That looks sooo good
Oh, it is!
ever heard Michelle Shocked’s song Strawberry Jam? If not, you absolutely must. I’d send it to you if I was tech savvy enough.
You’re not the first person to say I should check out that song. I don’t know it, but am heading to iTunes now. -Marisa
So beautiful. I do intend to make my own, but to be honest, I also want yours. Gluttony in jars!
Carolyn, I’m so glad you’ll be making a batch of your own! -Marisa
I stumbled on this post and it made me remember the strawberry jam my great grandmother used to make. She made the best, and it wasn’t until just before her death that we found out she added a little vanilla to her jam too, a trick that my grandmother adopts from time to time in her honor. There’s just something about that little extra note that makes the whole batch bloom 🙂 Thanks for reminding me 🙂
I’m happy to have helped remind you! -Marisa
I picked up jars on my lunch break because of this post. Seriously. Besides the vanilla-y smell, did you get much flavor infused from the bean?
Holly, I did get good vanilla flavor, but I let it soak in for a full 48 hours. My mom did for just a day and ended up adding about a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the jam, because she didn’t feel like she got the flavor level she wanted from the day with a vanilla bean. -Marisa
I found your website because I will be canning for the first time this year and have been scouring the internet for easy yet interesting canning recipes. The strawberry/vanilla combination sounds great. I too would love to get a 1/2 pint jar of yours as a measure of what the jam is supposed to taste like.
We have huge blackberry bushes (though I think they could legally be called trees now) growing in our back yard that are just becoming ripe this week. I would love any creative jam recipes you have.
It’s going to be a little while until the blackberries are ripe here, but I will have at least one recipe up a bit later in the summer. My trick with blackberry jam is to work it through a strainer prior to canning, to deseed it. It makes for amazingly wonderful, smooth jam. -Marisa
The main reason I need to win is because my jam ended up dull. 🙁 I think the vanilla bean idea is brilliant, but Husband says not another flat this year. He thinks 21 jars is enough. Do you?
Oh no! I’m so sorry that your jam is dull. If you’re really unhappy with it, you could uncan it all, heat it all back up, add something to punch up the flavor and recan. It’s a lot of work, but if you aren’t going to want to eat it throughout the year, the energy investment might be worth it. -Marisa
I can’t wait until my next trip out to pick my own. Thanks for the encouragement.
Livia, oh hurray! -Marisa
Oh, dear – I already made my strawberry jam, but now I want to make another batch with vanilla beans! Yum!
Jacquelyn, oh yay! -Marisa
strawberry vanilla? I hadn’t thought of that but it sounds amazing. I should do that while strawberries are still really cheap and in season.
Melissa, exactly! -Marisa
Oh, man…a little of this on top of some greek yogurt and almonds? Yes please.
Jessie, that’s one of my favorite ways to use jam. So good! -Marisa
I actually made strawberry rhubarb jam just last night! My canning book has a recipe for strawberry vanilla, but i was a bit suspicious of how I’d like those flavors together… i’d sure like to try yours!
Shannon, I know it sounds a little strange, but trust me. Strawberry and vanilla play really nicely together. -Marisa
This post inspires me to want to try jam, which I’m a little bit afraid of since an ill-fated gooseberry incident. I’d love to win a jar of yours to have something to aspire to!
Amber, don’t let one bad experience sour you to jam! Try again! -Marisa
i am so going to try adding vanilla to my jam this time! cant wait!
Ann, I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! -Marisa
I have so many memories of strawberry picking with my mom and my siste. My mom had my sis and I wear straw hats with big brims, and she had decorated them with ribbons decorated with strawberries.
We have a small strawberry plant, but with a harvest of one or two berries at a time, I’ll have to buy some berries to make jam!
Samantha, what a lovely memory! -Marisa
I made strawberry jam yesterday, but did it without the pectin. I followed a Nigella Lawson recipe and used some white balsamic. I think that I would enjoy the flavor so much more if the jam wasn’t so sweet! It’s seriously toothache-inducing.
On the bright side, I’m going to my husband’s family reunion next week in Georgia. He insists that their Southern sweet tooths will LOVE it!
Meghan, I’m sorry to hear that your jam was too sweet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that your in-laws like it! -Marisa
That jam is beautiful!! But I wondered … would you share your recipe for strawberry-rhubar jam?
Jenn, I just posted it! -Marisa
Gosh darn it Marisa, now all I can think about is strawberry jam… nothing… else… at… all…
Serena, that’s my evil plan. I want everyone to be thinking about jam, all the time! -Marisa
marisa, your jams keep getting better and better! wish i was closer to philly so i could take your classes and eat it all up!
Lauren, where are you? Could you make a Philly weekend out of a class sometime? -Marisa
Yummy! Strawberries are my favorite. I also just moved, and I brought no jam. And there’s no jam in the fridge, either! I need some. 😀
Robin, we need to get some jam in your fridge! -Marisa
Lovely jam! I would love some.
I really want to start canning but I am a little intimidated to start. Thanks for your resource!
Whitney, if you’re nervous about canning, I recommend starting with pickles. They are so easy to make and will help build your confidence. -Marisa
mmmmmm….this looks yummy. My boys still peek whenever I look at this site so they can plan what they want to cook/eat!!!! You are wonderful!
Aww, thanks Michelle. I’m blushing! -Marisa
I never thought to add vanilla to strawberry jam but I think it is a fabulous idea!
Angie, it’s really amazing. -Marisa
I love strawberry jam. Last year I made several jams: apricot, blackberry, green gage plum and vanilla, jalapeno jelly, etc, but I never used any pectin. For the jalapeno jelly I used whole apples for pectin. Is the store bought pectin absolutely necessary, or not? Whaddaya think?
(For reference I started with Molly Wizenberg’s jam recipe in Bon Appetit. You can find it here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mixed-Berry-Jam-242544).
Sarah, very soon, I’m planning on weighing in on the pectin debate. Short answer is that if you use a good pectin, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I like knowing that I’m going to get a consistent product and using pectin gives me that. I also don’t want to spend hours and hours on my jams, and when you don’t use pectin, your cooking time gets significantly longer. But, I applaud those who make successful jam without pectin (I might also envy them just a bit). -Marisa
swoon. my jam loving heart is jumping for joy at the sight of this strawberry/vanilla beauty!
thanks for the Goventa recommendation. I truly enjoyed my first strawberry picking experience, although I ended up making an (average) strawberry pie and noshing on the rest. so, no jam…how sad.
Alexis, no matter what you did with your berries, I’m glad you got out there and picked! -Marisa
Ooooh, this sounds great. The vanilla must take away just a bit of that candy-sweetness that you usually find in jam. Mmmm. I will definitely try this.
Kate, the vanilla does cut the sweetness and also gives it is a sophisticated scent. -Marisa
Mmm…Sounds yummy!
Those tiny jars are the cutest and the vanilla idea intrigues me!
Thanks Rose! -Marisa
I found your blog about a week ago and have since decided that my life will simply not be complete until I can make delicious treats like these. You are fantastic. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Aww, thanks Michelle! -Marisa
I’ve always wanted to make my own jam… strawberry is by far my favorite… maybe I’ll start with this 🙂
Beth, making jam isn’t hard. Give it a shot! -Marisa
Thank you again for helping me the other night! I failed at my jam experiment but I’m determined to try it again. I think I needed to cook mine more. In the meantime I have lots of tasty strawberry sauce for ice cream 😉
Erin, I’m so sorry to hear your jam didn’t set! However, there’s nothing wrong with syrup-y jam. It’s wonderful in yogurt! -Marisa
This classic jam is also my favorite.
e, it’s just wonderful! -Marisa
I found you through Pithy and Cleaver. This jam looks so delicious I had to leave a commment. Yummy!
Stephanie, welcome! Isn’t Pithy and Cleaver a delight! -Marisa
Orange marmalade, and apricot or cherry preserves are also good in cranberry sauce.
Joelle, that’s a terrific idea! -Marisa
Strawberry jam is my favorite! I like to make the freezer jam, just because it is so dang easy.
Pam, freezer jam is quite lovely for its ease. It also has a fresher taste than the cooked stuff. -Marisa
I have not made Jam in years. But when I did, Strawberry was my Son’s fav….I love it too!
Pat, it sounds like it’s time for you to start making jam again! -Marisa
I am really inspired by your site. I hope to take up canning very soon.
Douglas, I’m happy to have inspired you! Don’t be scared, just dive on in to canning! -Marisa
Mmmm. Strawberry jam sounds lovely. All I have left is cases and cases of marmalade, which is, I suppose, what you get when you rent a place with multiple orange trees.
It sounds like you need to find someone with some strawberry jam and trade them for some of your marmalade. -Marisa
Strawberry jam was the first one my mom and grandmother showed me out to make. I still do any chance I can when it is strawberry season here (just ended) but did not get the chance to get around to making a full batch. There is something so intoxicating about that aroma. Gorgeous!
Tartelette, thank you! You’ve got one of the most beautiful blogs around, so that means a lot! -Marisa
YUM! This looks delicious, and I’m defffffinitely going to try it as my first jam. Even if I win the little jar. 😀
Wendy, please report back and let me know how it turns out! -Marisa
I keep debating whether or not to immediately open up and enjoy the jam we made in your class, or wait until the dead of Winter when it will taste especially sweet.
Winning this jar would make my decision a little bit easier. 🙂
Mary, don’t delay the gratification, open the jam! The whole point is to give you a little taste in order to encourage you to make your own! -Marisa
I don’t want to alarm you, but I think I’m officially giddy. Do you need a full-time assistant? And can I get paid in jam?
Michelle, you’ll work for jam, huh? 😉 -Marisa
That is gorgeous stuff. Makes my mouth water.
Maggie, that’s my plan! -Marisa