Growing up in the 1970s, you could find fields of citrus trees and strawberry fields throughout South Orange County.
My parents would drive us kids out to this “country” for a drive through these fields where I loved the smells as I stuck my head out the window. Drowning in this air was worth it and seatbelts were optional.
I remember the carrot juice, the corn flakes, the scrambled eggs with steamed cauliflower, and all the homemade items my mom had stashed in the pantry like the jars of homemade strawberry jam too.
There was always homemade jam in the cupboards which I took for granted because it became the only kind of jam I would eat as an adult.
There’s a certain stir, a certain tempo of the hand this recipe calls for. It’s not just the ingredients but if you’re not including the manner in how it’s made, it won’t come out.
I even created a video to show you what I’m talking about.
Fortunately, my first time making it was with my mom carefully instructing me on every prep, every tool, every careful stir this delicate recipe calls for.
I thought it was a secret recipe for a long time until my mom said she had to dig for it when I finally asked to have it. And I’m glad I did.
Strawberry Jam Recipe
What you’ll need:
Newspapers
Household Wax
Wooden Spoon
Spatula
Ladle
Skimmer
Large Pot
Very small saucepan just for heating wax.
4 Medium Size Mason Jars
8 Cups of Sugar with 2 cups measured separately in bowls
1 Box of Pectin
4 Cups of Strawberries thoroughly washed
1/4 cup of Lemon Juice (concentrate or fresh)
Instructions:
Wash and completely dry the jars and place them on newspapers making sure each jar has a lid.
Put strawberries whole into a big pot, (no need to slice them) and bring to a boil on medium-high while mashing them. Ensure all big pieces get mashed.
Powder the top of the strawberry mixture with pectin & blend - do not stir. (as shown in the video).
Bring to a boil.
Pour lemon juice and gently stir.
Bring to boil again
Pour 2 cups of sugar at a time and stir gently with a spatula making sure the mixture is not sticking to the bottom. Do a check on the thickness with a wooden spoon to keep an eye on it that it’s thickening. It’s important to keep the same consistency of blending the sugar. My mother says only one person should handle this process as each person can apply a different tempo to their stirring. (At least that’s what my mom says.)
When it comes to a full boil set the timer for 6 min.
OC Strawberry Jam
Ingredients are Strawberries, Sugar, Pectin and lemon juice. That’s it!
Turn off the stove and immediately pour strawberry mixture into jars using a ladle and fill the jars to about 1/4 inch from the top. DO NOT pick up jars after pouring the mixture as the bottom of the glass can easily break.
Let the mixture cool completely in the jars before adding wax. You might want to wait until the next day to fill the top of jars with wax so they can be stored for up to 1 year.
Use a very small beat-up saucepan and ONLY use it to melt the wax. (I mention what I use in the 10-minute video above.) Once the jam has cooled and hardened, pour the melted wax over the jam to seal the jar.
Let me know how your batch turns out. This recipe makes about 4 medium Mason jars. They make great gifts but I don't give them out as much anymore.
My husband eats them too fast.