Strawberry Jalapeño Jam

The best time to make this jam is at the peak of strawberry season when the strawberries are really sweet and juicy. Where I live that is June/July. Luckily that is also when jalapeños are in season. Make sure to buy fresh, organic strawberries that are ripe and sweet. Last year I made the mistake of trying to jam September strawberries and no matter what I did the jams were an awful color and the taste was mediocre. The quality of berries directly effects the flavor of this jam.

When pureeing the strawberries you can either mash them with a potato masher or place them into a blender on the lowest setting. You want the puree to be chunky, it will smooth out a little more when it cooks.

You can either preserve this jam in canning jars or put it in the fridge and use within a few weeks. If you preserve it in canning jars make sure to use proper canning procedure, store the jars in cool, dark place and use within a year.

A note about pectin: There are several kinds of pectin on the market. I find that the easiest to use is powdered pectin. I like jams that are rich in fruity flavor without being diluted by sugar (like in store-bought jams) so I use Ball RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin. Most pectins require you to use a ton of sugar to get the jam to set properly so make sure to buy low or no-sugar needed pectin if you want to make low-sugar jams.

Makes: 1.25 pints

Preparation time: 10m
Cooking time: 10m
Total time: 15m

Ingredients:

  • 2 jalapeños (minced)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon Ball RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • 1 1/3 cups puréed strawberries (about 1/2 pint strawberries)

Equipment: sauce pan, potato masher or blender

Instructions:

  1. If canning, prepare water bath and sterilize canning jars. If you are new to canning, follow the instructions on the INLINE-LINK-START title="Canning" href="http://www.freshpreserving.com/getting-started.aspx" target="_blank">Ball website INLINE-LINK-END.
  2. In a large saucepan combine puréed strawberries and water, and place over high heat.
  3. Add the pectin: sprinkle in a little at a time then stir until it is dissolved, continue until it is all added.
  4. Bring to a full rolling boil, one that can not be stirred down, then add the sugar in the same way you added the pectin.
  5. Boil hard for 60 seconds then remove from heat.
  6. The jam is done, either store in the fridge or proceed to preserve it by filling the sterilized jars, making sure to leave 1/4" headspace. Then place the jars in a water bath and boil for at least 10 minutes if altitude is less than 1000ft above sea level. Store canning jars in a cool, dark place and use within 1 year. Make sure to refridgerate after opening.