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Of all the berries that grow in our gardens, strawberries are the most long-awaited and delicious. Few people can resist its fragrant berries. Unfortunately, its fruiting is not so long, and the berries themselves cannot be stored for a long time. Therefore, many housewives try to quickly close the jam out of it. There are a lot of cooking options, but the most fragrant and beautiful is a delicacy with whole berries.
The main subtleties of whole berry jam
In its preparation, strawberry jam with whole berries differs from ordinary jam. We list the main features of its preparation:
- For this delicacy, you need to choose only ripe strong berries. Only they will be able to maintain their shape throughout all stages of preparation. In addition, soft and crumpled strawberries will give a lot of juice during cooking, and the jam will turn out to be very liquid;
- Of great importance is the size of the berries. Large berries are definitely not suitable for use: they will boil longer and lose the lion’s share of nutrients. It is best to choose medium-sized berries, especially since they are the sweetest;
- In order for the berries to retain their shape, they need to be washed only under a small pressure of water. It is most convenient to do this in a colander, but you can also use a large bowl;
- Strawberry jam with whole berries should be not only tasty, but also healthy. Therefore, in no case should it be cooked longer than the recommended time. Overcooked jam loses all useful vitamins and minerals and carries nothing but taste;
- Store a strawberry treat only in a cold and dark room, for example, in a pantry, basement or closet.
By following these simple recommendations, you can cook not only tasty and healthy, but also very beautiful strawberry jam with whole berries.
Classic recipe
Strawberry jam with whole berries, prepared according to this classic recipe, will remind many of childhood. This is how this delicacy has always been cooked. For him, you should prepare:
- kilogram of strawberries;
- 1300 grams of granulated sugar.
The process of preparing strawberry treats according to this recipe can be divided into three stages:
- Berry preparation. Purchased or harvested from your garden, fresh strawberries must be cleaned of all leaves and tails. After that, it should be washed well under a small pressure of water so as not to damage the whole structure of the berries. When all the water drains from the berries, they must be transferred to a deep enameled container and covered with sugar. In this form, the berries should be left for 6-7 hours. Therefore, it is better to start preparing the berries in the evening in order to leave them with sugar overnight. During this time, the strawberries should release juice. If after the specified time the strawberries have released little juice, then you can wait another 1-2 hours.
- Berry cooking. When 6-7 hours have passed, the container with berries should be brought to a boil over medium heat and cook for 5-7 minutes. During the cooking process, foam will form, which must be removed. It is very important not to damage the berries. The boiled jam must be completely cooled. After that, the cycle of cooking and cooling should be repeated 2 more times, but the cooking time should be reduced to 3-4 minutes.
- Closing the brew. After complete cooling, the thrice boiled jam can be poured into pre-washed and sterilized jars. The lids of the jars must be screwed on tightly.
Jars of strawberry treats should be stored in a cool place, out of direct sunlight.
Thick jam with strawberries
This strawberry jam recipe is perfect for those who love sweet pastries. It can be used as a filling for pies and pancakes without fear that it will leak out. To prepare it you will need:
- kilogram of strawberries;
- kilogram of granulated sugar;
- half a glass of water.
Strawberries should be peeled and washed. When all the water drains from the berries, they must be transferred to an enameled deep pan. Half of the prepared granulated sugar is poured over the strawberries. This is done so that the berries give juice.
The second half of the prepared granulated sugar will go to the preparation of syrup. To do this, sugar must be completely dissolved in half a glass of water.
When the berries give juice, and this is about 2-3 hours after mixing them with sugar, the juice must be carefully drained and mixed with the prepared syrup. After that, the pan with syrup and juice can be put on medium heat and brought to a boil. In this case, you must remember the need for constant stirring. When the syrup with juice boils for 3-5 minutes, carefully add the berries to them and bring to a boil again.
Boil thick strawberry jam 2 times. In this case, between two cooking it must be completely cooled. The second time you need to cook it for 5-7 minutes, constantly removing the foam from it.
You can determine the readiness of a delicacy by its consistency: the finished jam should be thick and not spread. If such a consistency is obtained, then it can be safely poured into sterilized jars. In this case, first you need to pour a little granulated sugar into the jar, then pour the jam itself, and then sprinkle with granulated sugar again.
French strawberry whole berry jam recipe
The French have always been famous for their cuisine. They prepare any dish in their characteristic vision. This fate did not bypass the delicacy of strawberries. The jam prepared according to this recipe turns out to be quite thick and fragrant, with light citrus notes in taste.
To prepare it you will need:
- 2 kilograms of strawberries;
- 1400 grams of granulated sugar;
- half a lemon;
- orange.
Before you start preparing strawberry treats according to this recipe, you need to peel the strawberries from the leaves, rinse and mix with sugar in a deep enamel bowl. In order for the berries to give all their juice, they must be left under sugar overnight at room temperature.
The next step in cooking is getting juice from lemon and orange in any convenient way. Some recipes also use lemon zest, but for French jam, you only need the juice.
The resulting juice of lemon and orange should be added to the berries. After that, you can put the pan on medium heat and wait for the boil. At the same time, the strawberries must be carefully lifted up so that the granulated sugar at the bottom of the pan dissolves faster. After the start of boiling, wait 5 minutes and turn off the heat. But if the mass boils strongly, then the fire should be reduced.
Now you need to carefully catch the hot berries. It is best to use a slotted spoon for this, but a regular spoon will do. When all the berries are identified in another container, the syrup must be boiled again. In this case, the cooking time will depend on how thick the consistency should be in the end. If you need to get a thicker jam, then you need to cook it longer.
When the syrup is ready, all the extracted berries must be returned to it. In order for them to be evenly distributed over the syrup, you must carefully tilt the pan in different directions. The use of a spoon or spatula for mixing is not recommended. When they are distributed, you can return the pan to the fire and cook for another 15 minutes.
The finished hot treat should be poured into pre-sterilized jars and tightly closed.
Strawberry jam prepared according to any of these recipes will become not only a delicious treat, but also a decoration for any table.