Strawberry jam how long to keep

Wait for it to "set" After 48 hours you will know if you did it right. I got 2 and a half 16oz jars out of this recipe. I hope this helps. Check out the mason jar pics of my finished jam. Enjoy and Good Luck! Rating: 4 stars. Too sweet. The boil needs to be rolling - you cannot stir it down.

It will splatter everywhere. This only set as jam after a night in the fridge. Next time I will cut the sugar - I was going to give a small jar to my grandma, but it is far too sweet.

When you taste the mix just after the sugar dissolves, that is not the real sweetness. It intensifies once it's boiled so don't think it isn't sweet enough if you first taste it. I put three small plates in the freezer, put a small dob of jam on one and then replaced. After a minute I checked if I could run my finger through and had it jelled.

Easy but too sweet. Each result tastes a little different, so yum. I advise to follow it exactly, and it tastes a million times better than any jam from a supermarket. It's better to use the heaviest bottom huge pot you have, and start the boil slowly, move it up in quarter increments until high, this way it doesn't catch and burn.

Don't be in a hurry, I burnt it when I needed it that afternoon because I was in a hurry, and brought it to the boil too fast in a thin bottomed pot. Bill Richardson. Turned out great! Water bath is about minutes in boiling water for those that don't know. Patricia K. Great recipe. I have been canning for years and never made Jam without pectin. I had a dinner party last night. I had left over strawberries so I thought it would be a great idea to make the jam so each of my guest could take somthing home.

I did't have pectin on hand so I thought I would give this a try. It turned out great! I read the reviews and the people that said the jam was too thin, they did not boil hard enough. Great recipe!!! I will be using it when I do my jam. Thank You! Ginger C. Wow - fabulous, easy recipe. I picked 25 lbs. Both were good, but I loved this one. One or two recommendations: Do not use a saucepan - I started with a 3 qt pan and had to pour the jam into a large stock pot midway through cooking - when it starts to boil, it really bubbles up.

It takes a long time to get from degrees to , keep stirring so the bottom does not burn and be patient. I also used the plate test and it worked well also. The results are great. I used ziploc plastic containers, and am storing what we are not eating in the freezer - it won't last long. Great recipe! I've never made jam before, but decided to give it a try.

Before starting the jam, put 2 saucers in the freezer. Tip the strawberry mixture into a preserving pan with the lemon juice. Set over a low heat and cook very gently. If any sugar remains on the sides of the pan, dip a pastry brush in hot water and brush the sugar away. When you can no longer feel any grains of sugar remaining, turn up the heat to start bubbling the jam and bringing it to the boil.

The sugar must be completely dissolved before increasing the heat, otherwise it will be difficult for the jam to set, and it may contain crystallised lumps of sugar.

Boil hard for mins until the jam has reached C on a preserving or digital thermometer, then turn off the heat. If not, turn the heat back on and boil for 2 mins more, then turn off the heat and do the wrinkle test again.

Repeat until ready. Use a spoon to skim any scum that has risen to the surface and discard this. Do this only once at the end, rather than constantly during the boiling stage, to reduce wastage. Add a knob of butter, if you like, to the finished jam, and stir in to melt. Meanwhile, sterilise your jars. Ladle into warm jars, filling to just below the rim. Place a wax disc on top of the jam this prevents mildew forming , then cover with a lid or a cellophane circle and elastic band.

Pop on a label include the date , plus a pretty fabric top, if you like. The jam can be stored for up to 1 year in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate after opening. Scrape the seeds from 2 vanilla pods into the strawberries as you toss with the sugar, then poke the scraped pods in, too. Take them out before ladling the jam into jars. Some of the most common ways include:.

Keeping the jam in the pantry at room temperature is a safe way of boosting its shelf life. It would be best to place the jam in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight and severe heat sources. However, jam stored in the pantry should be used within the first twelve months of storage, if after all, you are to get a good service.

Also, the jar should be kept sealed all through the storage period. Once opened, it should be kept in the refrigerator and used within one month.

However, this storage method does not guarantee that the jam will always be at its best at the end of the storage period. Whenever you notice mold and other organic growth in the jam, we advise you to discard it. The pantry could have insects and pests that find their way into the package to spoil the jam. More importantly, you should ensure that the jars you use to store your jam are excellently sterilized before using them.

This is meant to eliminate the germs that could easily hasten the spoilage of the jam. To achieve the standard sterilization, you should the jars in warm soapy water, rinse, and dry them with a clean towel.

Next, put the jars in an oven at c for about ten minutes to eliminate all the traces of germs in the jar. If you are using a spoon to transfer the jam into the jars, you should also ensure it is very clean and sterilized.

Alternatively, you can pour a thin layer of an alcoholic spirit like whisky on the jam surface to reduce spoilage chances. Though an old storage trick, it perfectly boosts the shelf life of jam and reduces the risk of developing molds. Campden tablets are made of sodium metabisulphite and are commonly used in winemaking for killing bacteria and inhibiting the fermentation of sugars by yeast.

Though it is a perfect method to keep away bacteria and molds from growing in your jam, it has some shortcomings. Also, the tablets are very concentrated and normally with large volumes of water in wine factories.

Thus, even a small piece would be relatively too strong for a jam jar. Freezing is the best and most accepted method of storing fruit jam. Thus, freezing comes in handy to extend the shelf life of the jam components.

Interestingly, frozen jam can stay fresh for over 12 months. There are many risks associated with consuming expired jam. The molds and organic elements in a jam could be harmful to your health. Though not all molds are harmful, some produce toxins harmful to your health. Some molds are used in the manufacture of cheese and are delicious and harmless. However, you should avoid mold that is not intentionally added to your food by experts.

According to experts, visible mold is only part of a larger developing organism that makes a home inside your jam. Whenever the white mold fuzzy starts developing on the surface, it is an indication that the mold has grown root threads deep into the jam below. Also, the jam is prone to hosting poisonous mold agents known as mycotoxins. The fruit components in a jam host these agents. If the molds are ingested, they are likely to cause gastrointestinal complications and vomiting in the short term.

Additionally, the mold may lead to kidney and liver damage in the long term, increasing your risk of contracting cancer.