Vanilla Bean Strawberry Jam

I was at a friends last week and she had a bunch of strawberry jam out on the counter. I was totally impressed when she told me she had just whipped it up with her 5 year old son. Wha? Yah. Totally impressive for a Tuesday morning. I have always wanted to try my hand at homemade jam, but envisioned my self spending hours in a stinking hot field picking berries and then all of them going moldy and messing up the boiling water, canning process extravaganza. So needless to say, the jam dream stayed in my head. Kirsten (said friend), explained it was no-bake jam that took no time at all and you could even use frozen berries- say what!?

Enter liquid CERTO. Hello new friend. A pectin product in liquid form that allows you to set jams and jellies at room temperature without cooking! I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe on the back of the box, and it still set with no issues, so feel free to go with their version, or my jazzed (reduced sugar) version.

 

[Ingredients: Strawberries, Sugar, Lemon, Liquid Certo, Vanilla Bean Paste]

 

 

Vanilla Bean Strawberry Jam

*Adapted from Certo No-Bake Strawberry Jam

 

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups crushed strawberries
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 pouch liquid certo pectin
• 2 tbsp's lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or the beans from 1 whole vanilla bean)

Method:

1. Mix together your crushed strawberries, sugar and vanilla bean paste, and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, get your jars ready- just rinse in soap and water- no need to do the whole boiling, sterilizing thing. I used WECK jars because they are pretty, and have a strawberry on them.
3. Now stir in the pectin and lemon juice for 3 minutes or until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
4. Pour the jam into your clean jars and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Allow the jam to sit at room temperature for 24 hours, until set.
5. Eat it.
6. Seriously. That's it.
7. Go and eat it. YUM.



 

 

 

The Jam is good in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or frozen for 1 year.

Get Jamming.

 

Happy Tues.

C