Strawberry Jam - General Description
Fragrant and fragrant strawberry jam Everybody loves, without exception, both children and adults. And how much good is in the berry called strawberries! Its healing properties have been known since time immemorial, as evidenced by archaeological research. In addition to the excellent taste, strawberries have a lot of positive characteristics and are a real friend of the immune system due to the high concentration of vitamin C.
By biological indicators, the berry growing in natural forest conditions is slightly superior to garden varieties developed by humans. Studies have shown that one and a half times more vitamins E, group B, and minerals are concentrated in wild strawberries. But this does not mean at all that garden forms are not used in the production of jam. Just the opposite. It is cultivated species that are ideal for making strawberry jam.
Experienced housewives advise us to use such garden varieties as Roshchinskaya, Koralka, Saxonka, Mysovka, Komsomolka and Chernobrovka. These are bright, fragrant and non-digestible berries that will help you stock up with delicious strawberry jam and meet the cold season of colds fully equipped.
Strawberry Jam - tableware
Jam cooking is a process that requires a certain approach, therefore it is necessary to approach the choice of equipment, as well as the preparation of dishes with all responsibility, so that our strawberry jam is not only tasty, but also beautiful and more durable.
Usually, cookware is used with a capacity of two to six to seven kilograms, preferably if it is a low and wide basin made of brass or stainless steel. A large number of berries should be divided into several portions, because if they are boiled at a time, the cooking time will be significantly longer, which cannot but affect the quality of the resulting product.
The best containers for strawberry are glass jars with a capacity of 500 ml, 1 or 2 liters. Before packaging, they should be thoroughly washed and sanitized steamed or in the oven at one hundred degrees. The jars must be dry before filling the jam! Make sure that you have foam utensils, a wooden spatula, spoon or slotted spoon at hand during the cooking process.
Strawberry Jam - Berry Preparation
As for the berry itself, it must also be carefully prepared for cooking. To do this, strawberries are sorted, peeling of sepals, crushed, spoiled and immature are removed. If the fruits are clean, you don’t need to wash them, but if they are dusty, put them in a colander and immerse them in water or substitute them under a stream of water (you can use a shower), then let the water drain and start cooking the jam.
Strawberry Jam - Recipe 1
For one kilogram of ripe berries, 1.7 kg of powdered sugar is required (the amount can be reduced to 1.5 if desired). Lay the strawberries in layers in a bowl, and pour sugar (powder) between the layers. Next, remove the mass to the side for 4-7 hours so that our future strawberry jam is infused and gives good juice. After this time, put everything in a basin and place on a stove until it boils, then immediately remove it from the heat for fifteen minutes, then put it back to the boil and repeat it four times. At the end of cooking (in a couple of minutes), you can add lemon juice or acid at the rate of 1 g. per kilogram of raw materials. Pour hot in jars.
Strawberry Jam - Recipe 2
Prepare a syrup from 300 ml of water and 1.7 kg of sugar until it is completely dissolved and pour in 1 kg of fresh strawberries. Put the berries on the fire in syrup until boiling, then immediately remove for fifteen minutes and act according to the first recipe (the process of bringing to the boil must be done four times). In the end, add a citric acid a minute or two before cooking. Dessert for the winter is ready!
Strawberry Jam - Recipe 3 (in sugar)
Mash strawberries with sugar in a ratio of 1: 2 (for example, 2 kg of sugar should be taken per 1 kg of raw material). If desired, you can warm the jam on the stove, but do not boil in any case! Such a delicacy will be stored for a long time, and the fruits will always be fresh and healthy. The recipe is especially relevant for the treatment of colds.
Wild strawberry jam - useful tips from experienced chefs
Strawberry jam should be cooked from berries not too large, because they will cook longer, and, therefore, the product will lose more nutrients. Choose a berry of approximately equal size and equal maturity. It is necessary to collect strawberries immediately before cooking, for a maximum of one day. Collection should be carried out in sunny and dry weather.
The fire during cooking should not be too strong or too weak. Adjust it according to the degree of foaming. When foam emerges, it must be collected as often as possible.
The amount of sugar has a significant effect on strawberry jam. If it is less than normal, then the product will be unstable during storage, quickly moldy, ferment or deteriorate. And to prevent sugaring at the end of cooking, add a few grams of citric acid.
As practice shows, jam from the fruits of the first harvest is more aromatic and tastier than from berries of subsequent harvests. If the strawberries are very juicy, just filled with juices - syrup for such berries, in principle, is not required.
It is advisable to store strawberry jam in cool and dark, specially designated places at temperatures from +10 to +12 degrees.
