Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Strawberry Jam with a kick


  I bought a huge box of strawberries last week ... finally teen loves strawberries, but I think it was a bit too much for her to finish and you know it does not have a long shelf life. Well, instead of freezing them for smoothies in summer, I thought I should make strawberry jam, strawberry jam is not on our list of most desired, we don't dislike it but you know what I mean. Am into bulk buying for some reason. I think it was last month, I bought a huge box of oranges from Costco to make marmalade and then we ate it all up, then it was persimmon and one by one it was gone. Got these strawberries, was planning to eat them not cook with them, ended up making jam and am so glad I did. :))  Just before bottling the jam on a spur of the moment  I added  a couple of tbsp of smoked paprika. That's the climax of the story and things change from here. From the not desired list we have moved THE jam to 'we love this' list. It's been  a week since I made this jam, 2 jars are polished clean and we are currently working on the third. A spoonful of the jam goes into the mouth, you smell the strawberries, taste the sweetness with a hint of tartness (just a mild aftertaste) you think - it's good and you are almost done eating it..... you get a kick from the pepper and you wonder, what was that ....awesome, let me get another spoonful to relive that...and the cycle continues. We love this jam and looking forward to making a big batch in spring summer.

Finally teen came up with a signature snack -  cracker, jam generously used  & some pepper jack.....hmmm yum! . We have run out of crackers...so it's on pancakes, ice cream and just spoonfuls to make sure the flavor is balanced ;) It's always good to indulge once a while. What's your favorite preserve? And btw if you love orange marmalade, like I do you might want to click here.

Thank you Daily Meal for featuring this post on your home page. (under Culinary Content Network ) :)) Yeah !! 




Make sure you prepare your canning jars, before you start making the jam, you don't want the cooked strawberries to sit waiting to find a home.  You will need ball jars. The purpose of ball jar  is to preserve the food from natural spoilage. Get the dishwasher going while  preparing the jam, so the jars are clean and hot and ready to use. Put the lids into a pan of hot water for at least several minutes; to soften up the gummed surface and clean the lids. 


4 pt. strawberries cleaned, stems removed 
7 cups sugar
1 pack sure jell fruit pectin
2 tbsp smoked paprika 

Discard stem and crush the strawberries, leave it a bit chunky if you like it that way or smaller bits of the fruit, do not puree it . 

Bring boiling water canner half full with water, to simmer.

Measure exact amount of fruit ( in cups), measure exact amount of sugar in a separate bowl, keep aside. 

Stir in 1 box of pectin into the fruit in the sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil, keep string. Stir in the sugar quickly return to full boil and boil for 1 min, stir constantly. skim off the foam.

Turn of the heat and add 2 tbsp paprika (less or more, as per taste) to the jam and stir one last time. 

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling only 1/8th to the top. Cover with 2 piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jar on elevated rack in canner. Water MUST cover the jars 1-2 inches, add boiling water if needed. Cover, bring water to boil. Process the jams for 10 min. Adjust the heating time according to the altitude chart below.

Altitude-(ft) 1,001 - 3,000 - increase processing time 5 minutes
Altitude-(ft) 3,001 - 6,000 - increase processing time 10 minutes
Altitude-(ft) 6,001 - 8,000 - increase processing time 15 minutes
Altitude-(ft) 8,001 - 10,000- increase processing time  20 minutes

Remove jars, and keep them upright on a towel to cool completely. After jar cools, check the seal by pressing the middle of the lid with your index finger, if lid springs back it has not been sealed and you need to refrigerate the jam. 

Let stand at room temperature for 24 hrs and then open up the jar, dig your index finger into the jar, and enjoy !!



















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17 comments:

  1. fantastic recipe... jam looks perfect and delicious...

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  2. Might me good during the holiday season too- make a great gift and the color is perfect too...
    will store away for future...
    i really need to get going on trying some of these recipes...

    i might email you soon, i have a couple of parties to plan :)

    ~deepa
    http://aalayaminspiration.blogspot.com

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  3. Simply delicious and inviting to look at. Would try out your way to make such yummy jam.
    Deepa

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  4. Simi - love the heat in the jam from the paprika...good one !!

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  5. Lovely clicks and recipe looks very very tempting.

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  6. Awesome recipe. Loved the the shot of the strawberries :)

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  7. looks perfect and delicious, lovely clicks :)

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  8. "The strawberries always look delicious " this is what my little toddler said when she saw the pics here.

    Nice jam...

    Will try soon.

    -Raksha
    Raksha's Kitchen

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  9. Wow...looks yummy... Nice presentation.. :-)

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  10. nice clicks and it looks so yummy:)

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  11. LOOKS PERFECT AND TEMPTING...NICE CLICKS
    NEW FOLLOWER TO UR BLOG..LOVELY COLLECTIONS OF RECIPES..
    IF YOU GET A CHANCE, VISIT MY BLOG..
    http://foody-buddy.blogspot.com

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  12. Our strawberries in New Zealand have just finished while yours have started - a sad sign for us that summer is almost over. Your photos are delightful.

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  13. Jam looks really delicious! Lovely presentation! :)
    http://www.rita-bose-cooking.com

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Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to browse. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. Hope you enjoy your stay :))

hugs!
simi

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