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Strawberry jam is far from a modern delicacy. The first time it was prepared by our ancestors many centuries ago. Since then, recipes for making strawberry jam have become much larger. But of all the ways to get this delicacy, it is the original method that stands out, in which the berries are not subjected to heat treatment. Strawberry jam without boiling berries has many advantages. About them and how to make jam in this way and will be discussed below.
Benefits of no-boil jam
The meaning of any jam is not only its taste, but also the benefits of berries, which can be closed in jars for the winter.
A smaller part of the vitamins is lost if you cook for five minutes.
But strawberry jam without boiling berries is a living delicacy that retains almost all useful substances and vitamins, namely:
- organic acids;
- vitamins A, B, C, E;
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- pectin;
- iron and other useful substances.
In addition, strawberry jam without boiling berries retains the taste and aroma of fresh strawberries. Another advantage is that the preparation of such a delicacy will take much less time than conventional cooking.
But cooking berries in this way has one drawback – you can store the finished jam only in the refrigerator.
Collection and preparation of strawberries for “live” jam
Since the taste of strawberries in such a jam is especially felt, only the ripest of them should be chosen. At the same time, you should not choose a strawberry that is already overripe or wrinkled – it is better to eat it.
Soft berries after washing will give a lot of juice and become even softer. Jam cooked from them will be very liquid.
Picking ripe strawberries for such a delicacy is best in dry weather. But we must remember that it is not worth collecting it in advance. After collecting, you must immediately begin to prepare the jam, otherwise it may deteriorate.
The collected strawberries must be sorted out, removing the stalks, and washed well. Then lay it out on a paper towel to dry. For drying, 10-20 minutes will be enough for her, after which you can start preparing a “live” treat.
Classic recipe
This is a classic no-boil strawberry jam recipe that our ancestors used. The delicacy prepared according to this recipe is very fragrant.
For this recipe you need to prepare:
- 2 kilograms of strawberries;
- 1 kilogram of granulated sugar;
- 125 milliliters of water.
In the collected ripe berries, all leaves and stalks must be removed. Only after that they should be washed in running water and dried. Dry berries should be put in a clean bowl.
Now we need to cook the syrup. This is done quite easily. To do this, water with sugar dissolved in it should be put on medium heat and boil for 5-8 minutes. The finished syrup should be quite thick in consistency, but not white.
Ready, still hot syrup should be poured over the prepared strawberries and covered with a lid. Now you can give the syrup time to cool. During this time, the strawberries will give juice, thereby making the syrup more liquid.
When the syrup has cooled, it must be drained through a sieve and boiled again for 5-8 minutes. Then again boiled syrup should be poured over strawberries and left to cool. The same procedure should be repeated again.
After the third boiling, the finished delicacy can be poured into sterile jars. But first, you need to put berries on the bottom of the jar, and only then pour them with syrup and close. Until completely cooled, the jars should be covered with a blanket.
Quick recipe with photo
This is the easiest and fastest strawberry jam recipe ever. As you can see in the photo, it only needs 2 ingredients:
- 1 kilogram of strawberries;
- 1,2 kilograms of granulated sugar.
As always, we tear off the tails of the collected berries, wash them well under running water and dry them.
The dried strawberries must be very carefully cut into 4 parts and put in a deep bowl. All sugar is poured on top of it.
The bowl should be covered with a lid or towel and left at normal temperature overnight. During this time, the strawberries, under the influence of sugar, will give up all their juice. Therefore, in the morning it must be mixed well.
Only after that, the finished jam can be poured into sterilized jars. Before closing the jar with a lid, sugar must be poured over the jam. In this case, sugar acts as a preservative, which stops the fermentation of the jam. Only then can the jar be closed with a lid.
For those who like it sour, you can add lemon. But before that, it must be washed, peeled, pitted, chopped in a blender or passed through a meat grinder. It should be added almost just before closing in jars, when strawberries with sugar will already give juice.
Strawberry jam prepared according to these recipes will be simply indispensable during the winter cold, when you especially want warmth and summer.