As many of you know, I live in a fairly compact apartment (remember these pictures of my kitchen?). My husband and I have something in the neighborhood of 1,050 square feet that we call our own. In the last three years, my canning habit has expanded and between empty jars, full jars and equipment, occupies a goodly amount of our available storage space. Over the last 12 months, it was necessary as I was creating and testing recipes for my cookbook project.
This summer, I’ve decided that it’s time to scale back just a bit. And though I love having enough to give away to friends and family, I just don’t need to make vast batches of strawberry jam that yield five or six pints. For my own use, just a few half pint jars will most certainly do. And so I’m going to try something new here on the blog. Every week or two, I’ll be posted a recipe under the header “Urban Preserving.” These recipes will be small batch preserves, all scaled to use just a pint, a quart or pound of produce. The yields will be petite, perfect for those of you who have small households or are short on space, time or cash.
Before I left town for the Memorial Day holiday, I turned a quart of strawberries into three half pints of strawberry vanilla jam. I bought the berries on a Sunday, chopped them up when I returned home from the farmers’ market and tossed them with a cup of sugar and two split vanilla beans. Poured into a jar, the berries took a three-day rest in the refrigerator. I didn’t actually intend to let them macerate for that long, but as so often happens, life was busy and I just could not find the time to make jam until Wednesday night.
One of the true joys of small batch canning is that there’s no need to pull out a giant pot to serve as your water bath. A small one does the job just fine. I have two such pots that work well as a tiny canning pot. The first is the asparagus pot that I wrote about here. The second is the tall, spouted pot
Called a 4th burner pot, this is truly one of the best and most versatile pieces of cookware I own. I love it for making pickles, because you can heat the brine in it and then pour it directly into the jars. It makes the perfect gravy pot during the holidays. It can double as a tea kettle. And because it’s got that rack, it makes a terrific small batch canning pot. See how perfectly those three half-pint Elite jars fit into it?
So, to catch up, I poured the jar of chopped, macerated strawberries into a 5 1/2 quart pot. I added an additional cup of sugar (bringing the total to 2 cups) and removed the vanilla bean pods. I turned up the heat and inserted a thermometer to track the temperature. I cooked the jam to 220 degrees and also eyeballed the back of the spoon, rivulet test. A lemon’s worth of juice and zest went it towards the end of cooking.
There’s another reason that making small batch jam is so satisfying. Because there’s less volume in the pot, it cooks down more quickly. That means it’s easier to get it to 220 degrees and often means that you can skip the pectin in recipes that might otherwise need it (I know that there are some of you who eschew the pectin entirely, but I’ve always found it necessary when making strawberry jam). Shorter cooking time also means a fresher tasting jam and such glowing color!
The jam was poured into the hot half pint jars (it fit exactly, but I scraped every droplet out of the pot to ensure evenly filled jars), lids were applied and the jars were stacked into the rack. Lowered into the pot, they spent 10 minutes simmering in the handy 4th burner pot.
Within 45 minutes of when I turned on the heat under my jam pot, the jars were out of the canner and pinging on the counter top. I took one jar up to Northampton last weekend to share with our hosts. The other two jars are tucked away for next winter.
A non-narrative, traditionally organized recipe is after the jump. Small Batch Strawberry Vanilla Jam
1 quart strawberries (a little over 1 1/2 pounds, should be approximately 4 cups of chopped berries)
2 cups sugar, divided
2 vanilla beans, split and scraped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Wash and chop berries. Toss them with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla beans/seeds and place in a large jar or bowl. Allow the berries to macerate for at least 2-3 hours and up to 72 hours.
When you’re ready to make the jam, prepare three half pint jars.
Pour macerated strawberries into a large pot and add the remaining cup of sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer until the jam reaches 220 degrees. Add the lemon zest and juice in the final 5 minutes of cooking.
Once the jar has reached 220 degrees, remove the pan from the heat. Pour jam into your prepared jars. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings and process in your canner for 10 minutes (normally I’d admonish you not to start your timer until the water has returned to a boil. However, as long as your water is quite hot when the jars go into the canner, the time it will take to return to boiling should be minimal).
When time is up, remove jars from canner and let them cool on a towel-lined counter top. When jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and check seals. If any jars are not sealed, store them in the fridge and use them first. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place.
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I am macerating strawberries that I purchased earlier today and just received an e-mail saying my vanilla beans have been shipped. So I will be holding out on these strawberries till my beans arrive! Thanks for the recipe!
Great idea on the Urban Preserving series. (That’s a great name for a blog or book! in its own right). I love your blog but am totally intimidated by canning, mainly because I would have to get SO many ingredients, etc, to make it worth it. These smaller batches make it seem easier. Looking forward to trying these recipes and tips. Thank you!
I love this idea! I just tried it with the pint of strawberries I got in my CSA this week, but getting the berries up to 220 turned the batch solid! I have sticky strawberry candy instead of jam.
I love the idea of small batch canning and can’t wait to try it out! I’m a tiny bit confused about no pectin in this recipe. Does the maceration process replace adding pectin to thicken the jam?
I made this recipe yesterday using my asparagus pot for the very first time. Yay for your brilliant idea! I followed your direction and had perfect jam…. but it didn’t quite make the 3 half-pints. My only “complaint” is I thought it was a little too sweet. Maybe the vanilla bean heightened the sweetness of the strawberries? Is there a firm ratio of fruit to sugar that must be followed? I don’t believe in artificial sweeteners, but I try to look for ways to reduce sugar consumption. If sugar is reduced, does that mean pectin would be required? I know that too little sugar prevents gelling and may allow yeast and mold to grow. However, I can’t seem to find any guidelines for how much sugar is required. Thanks for your help! Love your blog, and I’m looking forward to more small batch recipes!!
Sorry to add another post, but the USDA Home Canning Guides (booklet 7 for jams/jellies) is a wealth of information. Google it to find the PDFs. For the person who said their jam turned into a sticky mess…. it was probably due to the wrong temperature. 220F degrees is for sea level. The water bath processing is also according to your elevation. Where I live, my gelling temperature is 218F and 10 minutes processing. Hope this helps!
[...] Strawberry-Lime Vanilla Jam Adapted from Food in Jars [...]
I find this SO helpful.
Thank you!
I think this is a great topic for those of us who have small gardens and often get small crops.
I got a chance to try this recipe on the weekend. I didn’t have any vanilla beans so I added some liquid vanilla. But that wasn’t what I liked most about this recipe, it was the lemon zest! I love the flavor it added. I didn’t have any half pint jars so this made me 2 pints.
I had also never made jam without pectin- I was a little worried at how it would gel but its just fine. Though I think I’d like to use pectin next time as that is a LOT of sugar for 2 jars of jam!
Thanks!
Great idea! I hope this seres includes some small batch tomato recipes. My backyard garden doesn’t give me 20 lbs of tomatoes at once lol. As a new canner I’m hesitant to mess with tomato recipes which I’d certainly need to do when converting down to only 5 or 3 lbs of toms.
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[...] 2.)Small Batch Strawberry Vanilla Jam A simple blending of vanilla bean, sugar, lemon and strawberries promises a taste that is quintessentially summer. For a direct link to the recipe, click here. [...]
Hey- I love the small batch idea and will look for future posts like this. I made this jam last night, but it did not set.
I only macerated my strawberries overnight, but they were very liquidy. I followed your instructions, but I did have 2 quarts of strawberries onhand, so I doubled the recipe. Is that my mistake? I also did add a package of pectin because I’ve had bad luck with getting jams to set in the past. I also realize that the pectin recipe calls for 5 cups fruit to 7 cups sugar… but I followed your recipe (doubled) for 4 cups fruit to 4 cups sugar. It tastes great- almost too sweet already- but it’s really more of a sauce. Do you think it’s worth following the pectin “re-set” method and re-canning them? Any advise is appreciated! Also, what kind of thermometer do you use for canning? I just have meat thermometer, it does go up to 220, but I’m not sure if it’s the best to use?
Jenny, the fact that you doubled the recipe is definitely the reason it did not set. That recipe needs to be kept small to work. It depends on the small volume to surface area ratio to cook the liquid out of the jam and get a reasonable set. However, this recipe will always make a loose set jam. It should move around when you turn the jar.
You could definitely try the recooking method if you want it to have a firmer set. As far as thermometers go, I use a candy thermometer. A meat thermometer won’t give you the specifics you need for something like this.
Noted. I’ll stop messing around with recipes just because I have more fruit laying around. Thanks for your feedback! I think I’ll leave it as-is. It’s a saucy jam and would be delicious used in baking recipes or on soy cheesecake. THANKS!
I tried doubling this recipe, and it turned out fine. I used a wide pan to help get the liquid evaporated quickly. I also tried a recipe in which I doubled the fruit without doubling the sugar, and that also gelled.
My guess would be that your temperature was off, due to your thermometer not being accurate enough, or else your fruit was super-ripe and didn’t have enough pectin left in it.
Or maybe I’m just lucky, jam-wise.
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This is my very first canning project! I wanted to try something small, to see if I liked the process or not. I just finished cleaning the kitchen. I heard the jars ping and I was so excited. Tomorrow I’m going to go buy a canner and rack – what a great way to spend a rainy June afternoon!
this might sound like a weird question but are those really half pint jars? they seem so short compared to the ones i have. just wondering if theyre not 4 ounce? if they are half where did you get them they look amazing!
Kelley, those really are half pint jars. They are from Ball’s Collection Elite line: http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/new_products/2.php?pid=259&product=289
Hoorah, these are perfect for me!! Definitely gonna try it this summer. To be honest, I just don’t have the patience to do giant batches, but this looks great!
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Thank you so much! I love the idea of small-batch canning, especially since I’m a novice jam maker. However, this morning, I decided to just jump right in, and I’ve made this recipe, your strawberry rhubarb jam recipe, and your blueberry jam, too. I’m so thrilled with how easy they all were – and that they all set up nicely! Lol since I had the water going, I went on and canned some peach salsa and some blackberry chipotle sauce, for good measure. Of course I saved the seeds and will soon have some lovely blackberry vinegar on hand.
Thank you for the inspiration, encouragement, and delicious recipes. My kids are just as excited as I am!!!
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This recipe turned out amazingly well when I used it a couple of weeks ago. We still have a week or two of strawberry season left here in MN, so it may get made again.
In a related note, I’m starting to teach beginning canning lessons at my wonderful local urban farm supply store in St. Paul (http://eggplantsupply.com/) and I’d love to put your blog, and specifically this recipe on my handout as a place for inspiration and recipes. Would that be ok with you?
Thanks for all the inspiration so far!
A few questions… Can I make this with frozen berries (thawed, of course)? What about with blackberries? I have never canned before and this looks so easy! Too bad strawberry season was so short here in Northwest IN!
I find that it’s harder to get frozen berries to set. So while you could certainly use them, it might be runnier than you’d like. I tend to remove seeds from blackberries before making jam, since they have super assertive seeds, but as long as you measured out the same amount of blackberry pulp, you could easily make the same recipe.
Is it still no pectin if I sub the berries?
I’ve made this recipe twice now. Thanks for introducing me to the notion of small batch preserving! It has changed how I do my canning. This particular recipe is a little too sweet for me (even when I’ve reduced the sugar) — but perhaps that’s due to the amazingly sweet berries I’m getting from the farmers’ market these days. I also have not been successful at producing an entire three half-pints. I always end up with one-and-a-half to two. Maybe I’m cooking it down too long, since I definitely end up with a thick-set product (unlike the set-soft set you said it should be). But despite that, I’ll continue making jam this way whenever I have some extra to spare this summer.
A belated thanks for the asparagus pot tip!
Scored one at a thrift store (under $3)!
I find it is great to use as it takes less time/energy to boil the smaller amount of water and doesn’t make the kitchen quite so hot.
Due to our current heatwave, the idea of using the big canner pot was just too much.
I’m really confused on the whole pectin issue. Pectin is not needed in all jam recipes? I am a newbie to canning so would love any advice! I also posted on Facebook a silly question: How come some recipes call for liquid pectin while others the powder kind? Is it really necessary to use a thermometer?
I made this the other day, and it is so good on vanilla bean ice cream.
Please, more small batch preserving recipes!!!!!!!!
Made this yesterday, I am in love. Small batch is so the way to go. Also used this as a template to make a small batch of Raspberry Jam also yummy. Thanks for helping me return to a beloved passtime, its been 15 years since I last made jam.
I bought some Elite jars a year or two ago because they were so cute but HATED using them in my standard water bath canner. I may have to re-think those jars now! One kid left to launch then a 3 jar batch would be about right for hubby & me
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I made this and it turned out fantastic! I didn’t have vanilla bean so I substituted 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp almond, I can’t keep my family from opening the jars and eating the enire contents with vanilla ice cream. It’s just that good.
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I have to say that this is my (and my husband’s) absolute favorite. I can hardly keep him from eating it straight out of the jar. It’s great on everything, cheese apps, turkey sandwiches, I even turned it in to a delicious homemade ice cream! The jam turned out so well I did a number of additional batches to give away for Christmas. Thanks so much for all of the hard work you put into this website!!
I just finished a batch – wonderful recipe. Thank you so very much!
I’ll probably blog about it this week – will certainly post a link back to your blog.
ButterYum
Change of plans – I processed my jars of jam and they never “set”, despite bringing it to the correct temperature using an accurate thermocouple digital thermometer. I made a single batch and macerated my strawberries for 48 hours. I think I’ll have to add more fresh berries and use it as a dessert sauce as it’s too sweet to use as a sauce in its present form.
I’m so sorry to hear that your jam didn’t set. If you’re really unhappy with the set, you could open the jars and recook the jam until it thickens further.
Not a problem, really. I ended up adding more fresh berries to it and used it as an ice cream topping. It was a hit at a recent function I attended.
I’m about to cite this jam recipe in a discussion about literary examples of cooking where people are talking about notable strawberry jam failure in Anna Karenina. here
Things that make this recipe useful to the discussion:
– you do not add water to the recipe
– you do not add pectin
– it’s a small batch, rather than a large batch
But how firm was the resulting jam?
Aha – I see you answered in comments above that it’s a loose-set jam. Perfect.
Strawberries are really low in natural pectin, so that when you make a jam from them without any additional pectin, it’s always going to be a loose-set jam. However, doing it in small batches does increase the level of set. Still, it’s not firm like a blueberry jam would be.
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Does it matter how long berries have been in the fridge macerating?
I put some blackberries in with the sugar more than a month ago and they got moved to the back of fridge and I just found them! They don’t smell spoiled. Are they still safe to use?
Jenn, I think a month is probably too long. They’ve probably started to ferment at this point.
I’m trying this idea out today. Normally I do my jams in batches that make 6-7 half pints, but I am trying to break that habit. I have a pound of strawberries that are at that “sweet but not exactly pretty” stage that I like for jam and some Meyer lemons that are calling out to be combined into something. Not exactly to the recipe, but it seems to be to the spirit.