This post will share a great recipe for strawberry jam that can be halved or doubled and can be pureed smooth or not. It is versatile and easy, fragrant, and fast. Enjoy and be sure to download the printable version of the recipe to have on hand! You’ll be making homemade strawberry jam for your family and friends in no time with this easy canning recipe.
Strawberry Jam is THE preserve to try if you’ve never canned because strawberries are so high in acid that the worst thing that could happen is that you’ll have thin jam, which is essentially strawberry syrup. When the worst case scenario is strawberry syrup, I feel like the risk is really, really low, Wildflowers. You can proceed with confidence.
Strawberry jam is delightful on quintessential peanut butter and jelly, in a jam & whiskey cocktail, dressing a banana split, in between layers of a cake, atop a cheesecake, on toast, on an English muffin with cream cheese, whisked with balsamic vinegar into a dressing, and so much more.
Want to print this Strawberry Jam Canning Recipe? Get it here!
Notice that there are directions for both water bath AND steam canners; I explain a ton about steam canners in this post but basically, they are a really great pot that makes canning faster and easier.
**Edit: Thanks to reader Debi for mentioning that some beginners might not know or remember to check the top edge of the jar for any trace of jam. Because I use, and you should use a funnel to fill each and every jar, you probably won’t have much jam get on the top edge. However, you SHOULD check every jar with your eyes to see if there’s even just a smudge of jam and wipe it with a clean kitchen towel before applying the lids and rings. Any trace of jam might thwart a seal, and that’s a real disappointment. Check the edges, Wildflowers!
Not sure what tools you need to get started canning?
I had the great pleasure of demonstrating how both water bath and steam canner setups work at my friend Mary’s ranch of Five Mary’s Farms – we used this recipe and canned 4 big batches!
One thing we discussed during the canning lesson was that canning isn’t an activity for people who believe in perfection. Of course, canning requires the canner to follow directions closely and to understand that failure to do so is unwise and risky, but there’s a great amount of variability that can occur even when following directions closely. You might see in this impressive tower of delicious jars of jam (24 jars in a couple of hours!) differences in color; we picked the berries in the same place, cooked the berries side by side in similar pots and used the same recipe. One pot got cooked a bit longer but other than that they were essentially the same batch. But, you can see that they don’t look exactly the same. Canning is not about perfection. Some batches are firmer, or darker, or sweeter than others. There’s little sense looking back as you aren’t headed that way, I think, and I don’t spend much time worrying about it. Both batches tasted delicious and the ladies that I canned with today all get to share the joy of canning with their loved ones. Any day that I get to spend with friends preserving the fruits of the Earth for colder days is a good one indeed.
If you love strawberries, you’ll love my Canning Strawberries Recipe Book!
Canning strawberry jam truly is a great jam for a beginner and I want to hear if you try it!
Is there a way I can adapt my water bath canner into a steam canner?
No, a steam canner is a completely separate pot. I know it stinks to buy another pot but the advantages are many. Sorry!
I am looking for a recipe for sour cherry jam. Do you have one to use with my new steam canner? I can’t wait to try it out!
I’ll look and get one for you very soon! Great question!
I would suggest http://www.foodinjars.com for a sour cherry recipe! We rarely get them in stores where I live so I don’t have a recipe but that site is an excellent one 🙂
Hi Jenny Your recipe sounds like mine. My only suggestion for your recipe for beginners is to wipe the tops of the jars after filling them just incase something might be on the lip of the jar. As it might not seal.
Hi Debi that’s a great suggestion! I always use a funnel to fill jars and that seems to eliminate the need for that but that’s a good tip nonetheless!
Debi thanks so much for the comment; I’ve edited the post with a reminder 🙂
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I’m new at this and unsure what it means about water baths ? Can someone please explain
Hi Wendy! The water bath is the pot of water that the hot jars full of hot food are submerged in for a set amount of time to preserve the food. The boiling water forces oxygen out of the jars, creates a seal, and kills spoilers inside the jar. There’s another post all about it- search “Canning process” for more info!
Regarding steam canner I know I can’t use one on my ceramic cooktop, but how about using my propane 4 burner grill…does anyone use one as a substitute stove ?