When I was a kid, I always looked forward to June. It seemed like the day school let out mom would load up the station wagon and we’d head to upstate NY to see her folks. Her sisters would meet us there and we’d have a huge party. Well, okay, maybe not a party, but a lot of fun.
One of the things we cousins did was watch our moms make strawberry jam. We’d come in and out of the kitchen getting our hands smacked by whichever mom was standing over the strawberry bowl we were stealing from.
Our mothers toiled a l l d a y l o n g. The reward was strawberry shortcake for dessert that night and homemade jam throughout the year. Gotto love me some strawberry shortcake.
As we’ve grown up, gotten married, and had kids of our own, my sisters and I have gone to mom’s to put up jam, peaches, and corn. In the last few years, I noticed mom stopped using a canner for jam. This piqued my interest for I don’t own a canner. Bad girl!
Last week, my sister Johanna and I decided we wanted to make strawberry jam without a canner to see if we could pull it off. We were going to do the whole shabang – go out to the fields and pick our own strawberries like my mom and her sisters used (to drag us) to do, but it’s been hot. Really hot. Like 100 degrees hot.
Also, I’m moving so I don’t have time to pick strawberries one day and then the very next day turn around and make jam. My sister has five kids so her calendar is just as busy.
We made an executive decision and bought strawberries from a local farm stand. We paid $5 a quart and needed 6 quarts to make 2 batches of jam, one for me and one for her. We decided to buy an extra quart for our collective 8 kids so they didn’t salivate over the berries all day only to watch them all be turned into jam. When the farmer saw how much we were buying, he threw in an extra quart for free. We scored 8 quarts (16 pints) of berries for $35.
Here’s what we did:
We sterilized our jars by putting them into the dishwasher and running a regular cycle with heat dry.
While the washer was going we got to work on the berries. First we measured them out and washed them.
Then we pulled out some funny ones and laughed. This one reminds me of the little inky octopus in Finding Nemo.
This one reminds me of the face of Jesus. Just kidding! It reminds me of siamese twins. Duh!
Then we got serious again and starting hulling the strawberries which simply means taking off the green part. You can cut them in half or quarters as you throw them into your bowl.
Once you hull and cut them, you mash them with a potato masher or, as in our case, a pastry cutter. I don’t have a potato masher, what can I say?
While Johanna was mashing, I mixed together two packets of Sure-Jell (it’s in the baking aisle – if you’re lucky enough for your store to sell it – and looks like a small box of Jello) and 1/2 cup of sugar according to the directions in the Sure-Jell packet. We were doubling the recipe. You only need one box for a single recipe. (*note: make sure you use the exact amount of sugar the sure-jell calls for or your jam won’t set)
We transferred our mashed berries into a large stock pot and then stirred in the Sure-Jell/sugar mixture.
And we waited for the berries to come to a rolling boil.
While we were waiting for a boil, Johanna measured out the rest of the sugar… (here’s a free tip – don’t talk while you’re counting. It’s easy to lose track.)
…I sterilized the lids by boiling them in a sauce pan.
Once the berries came to a rolling boil, we poured all the sugar in, stirred it and waited for it to come back to a rolling boil. When it did, we let it boil while stirring constantly for one whole minute.
Then the fun began.
Johanna started grabbing super hot jars from the barely done dishwasher and ladling jam into them.
Sure-Jell says to fill them to within 1/8 inch of the top. We did our best.
I began taking lids from the hot water…
And clamping them onto the hot jars of hot jam.
Notice the theme…. it’s important all the parts be HOT. Also make sure the rim of the jar is completely dry and clean so the lid will seal.
Once the jars are full, turn them upside-down to cool. On your microwave. Because that’s how my mom does it.
Somehow the hot jam, the hot jar, and the hot lid work together creating a vacuum seal as everything cools. Johanna and I were nervous it wouldn’t work and we’d end up with 17 jars of jam that needed to be eaten STAT.
To our amazement they all sealed. Every single one. We were thrilled. Thrilled enough to squeal and give each other a high five. We did it! We’re domestic divas.
And then, of course, we had homemade pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. Our mother and children would expect no less.
(c) 2016 Leighann Marquiss
Comments (37)
This blog brought back memories for me as well. I still make jelly/jam through out the year (I will buy frozen fruit when it’s not in season). If you have a food processor you can put your fruit in there an give it a ‘whirl’ if you do not have a potato masher.
I do not turn my jars upside down and they seal just fine but then I usually end up giving away the jelly/jam to friends since I am single and do not need numerous jars of jell/jam at my house so maybe by turning them upside down makes a better seal.
Brenda from Ohio
Yay! I’m so proud of you girls!! Man, did that post bring back some memories…of all of us picking strawberries in Owego and getting eaten by mosquitos and gnats. Good times! Miss ya and Love ya!!
You are the bestest mommy! Can I be your little kid?
Beautiful strawberries!! We have a small grape vine and I make grape jelly in September after school starts (without a canner). I give lots of it away as Christmas gifts since Morgan is the only one who eats it here.
Had sooo much fun that day! You forgot to point out the oil changing funnel we used as part of the process. That might be important to any reader wanting to copy us cool domestic divas. LOL!
Johanna
Okay, the comment about the Jesus strawberry had me laughing so hard I had tears coming down my face!
You know, I would really check on this. I know it’s pretty dangerous to not water bath it because it’s not about the seal with water bath canning, it’s about killing any bacteria or anything that might be there. I asked a friend about it (our Stake Emergency Preparedness Representative) who said that’s the old style, and that the new updated books say you shouldn’t do it that way because of botulism issues. So, just a bit of information. 🙂
So, what exactly is the difference in putting everything together as she did (everything was hot enough to kill any bacteria) or putting everything in mars and then submerging them in water to cook them again? We wash our jars and then soak them in boiling water for 30 minutes. Same with the lids. Then air dry them upside down on a clean towel. We make our product, made marinara today, and then when almost ready to put into the jars, we put the jars in a cold oven and then turn the oven on to 250 degrees. This way the jars will heat gradually and not crack. When oven reaches temperature we wait at least 5 minutes and add lids and rings to pot of boiling water. Take one jar at a time out of the oven with a pair of tongs, fill it, take lid and ring out of boiling water, place on jar, and set aside on a towel. Continue until all jars are filled. Once they have cooled, check the seal. Been doing this for years and never had one problem. Never had a jar not seal.
Amanda – thanks for the heads up. Everyone should use caution when canning food. Boiling the food and sterilizing the jars cuts down on bacteria, but doesn’t kill it all, even when boiling it for the recommended canning times…. so when opening canned food, if it looks or smells funny… use common sense.
Leighann and Johanna,
I’m so vey proud of you. You must have watched and listened well to your Mom and aunts. I have always made jam this way and the recipe on the box tells you to do it ths way, so I think you did well. The common sense part is always a good rule to follow. I miss seeing you all so very much. We really need a cousins(and aunts) reunion this summer. This move is really messing up the works though. Hope we can see you soon. Miss you and love you. Aunt Karen
I am so excited to find this. My grannie taught me to can jelly and she doesn’t use a water bath either. They seal great (and if they don’t, more to enjoy now!) and it’s so much faster.
Ok, so I tried this today, and 6 hours later, I just have liquid. How long does it take to set into jam? What can I do to get it to set?
Do you have to keep them in the refridgarator or are the ok in the cabinet?
As long as the lids vacuum seal they can be kept in the cabinet.
i have a question, if you don’t mind. when do you “can” the jam by sealing then boiling to create the vacuum, as apposed to what you did by just sealing them and then letting them cool and create the vacuum? a bit perplexed…..thanks for your help.
@Cinaed67: A canner is used to give canned goods a “water bath”. Basically you are boiling the contents to kill any bacteria that may be present. There is controversy over whether some produce can be canned without a canner… from my research things that are high in acid are safe to not use a canner on. If you are skipping the water bath (canner method), make sure to use common sense when eating your food – anything that looks or smells off should be thrown out. Anything that has any black specs in it should be thrown out. Botulism is a big concern and will kill a person within a few hours. Jams have a high acid content; however any vegetables should be canned using a canner.
The vacuum seal happens regardless as long as everything is hot.
Hope this helps.
thanks…that’s clarifys things! appreciate your time!
This is just what I was looking for! Thank you for your post! ~Charlie~
I am pleased to say my jam turned out spectacular!! This is an easy recipe and I am a first time jam maker. Thank you so much this is exactly what I was looking for!!! Amy, from Tennessee
That’s awesome, Amy! Enjoy the jam….
Thank you, great site! Just one question, I just put them in jars about N hour ago and they are still not thick, does it take awhile or did I do something wrong?
It can take a few hours. If they haven’t set in a few hours they might not. And that is typically a problem with the sugar to pectin ratio.
I just purchased 5 boxes of Sure Jell pectin planning to use the recipe that is supposed to be included. I have opened two of the boxes, and, guess what!- no recipe. Anyone else have this problem? Can someone tell me the amounts needed?
You should be able to get the recipe on the Sure Jell website…. the amount of sugar you need is determined by what fruit you are using. Good Luck.
I live in Germany and purchased a 6 kg can of sour cherry jam (yummy). This brand was not available in stores. I want to break it down into smaller amounts and was wondering if it could be reheated and canned? Will it get thick again? Any suggestions?
Paula, When you heat jam it typically makes it thicker because you are reducing the liquid content. This is how you would make a jam non-runny to put in Linzer cookies…. You are basically making a reduced-jam sauce. However, if you want it to stay in jam form, you can always freeze it and take it out as you need it. I think that’s your best bet. Sour cherry jam sounds delicious! Good luck.
Picked strawberries yesterday, and made your jam- perfect! Thank you
Mimi – so glad you were able to make your jam! Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you for sharing all this information, I made Plum Jam the other day and I don’t use a canner but I put the plum up in canning jars made 6 pints. This weekend I’ll be making nectarine preserves and I think from now on I will make mine just like you all have shown here. Growing up my Mother did not can, but I had a Grand Mother who did and I watched her and from time to time when we would visit with them she would let me taste a sample. But there was one time I did get my hand smacked when tried to take some berries !
Thank you again for sharing…….this really helps me in my canning process……!
Do you think I could use this method with mangos instead of strawberries? I have them coming out of my ears!
Do the lids still make a popping sound when they seal when you can this way?
I ran out of my homemade jam while at our 2nd home in SC this year. Store-bought jam is just not the same so I decided to make some raspberry jam (from store-bought raspberries) this winter. However, I left my usual canning supplies at our other home & didn’t want to duplicate purchases, so decided to try making jam without a canner, which I had heard could be done. Hence, I found your site & made the jam as you described. However, although all my jars appeared to seal OK, I found that the first jar I opened unsealed way too easily, so I was naturally doubtful about how effectively the others sealed as well. I also didn’t care for the look of an empty space at the bottom of each jar (headspace reversed). I ended up purchasing another canner & a food mill after all, & just reprocessed all the jam I had made before, emptying all the jars, reheating contents, etc…Whether or not the other non-canner method would have proved to be safe over time, I’ll never know, since I didn’t give it much time. I really did not want to have to worry about contaminated contents, & feel much more secure with my tried & true canner method. Plus, I think the jars look better when they appear to be full.
Mary, I think everyone should be comfortable with the food they eat! Glad you found something that worked for you even if it meant re-canning everything. Happy jam eating!
Thank you ladies, so much for sharing your experience. I do not have canning equipment….and I thought to myself….well I’m sure they invented a canner to make a process easier….so what did they do before a canning equipment was invented? This has to be possible to do without one. I’m not going to go buy one! But I really want to make blackberry jam. I am excited to try this and thank you very much for your sharing your warm memories☺️
I’m 60 years old now and have been making jellies and jams since I was 12 years old. My mother and I would use the paraffin method back in those days. As time progressed, pectin manufacturers switched to the inversion method to seal the jars. I’ve been using that method for about 30 years now with a 98% success rate. The inversion not only helps create the seal but also ensures the entire jar has been sterilized. I just today did six jars of Mustang grape jam and all the jars pinged. I’ve never used a canner for this process, but only use inversion for things canned with a high sugar content like jelly and jam.
When you said you doubled the recipe and used 2 boxes of sure-jell, did you mean just 1 box since there are 2 packets in one box?I’m only making half a batch so I only need 1 box with 1 packet took out of it?? Please help!!!!!!
Hey June – this post is from 9 years ago so I don’t exactly remember! I most likely doubled the recipe on the box. So follow that recipe to a T and it should work. The pectin and sugar need the exact ratio listed on the box to set. Best wishes!