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Of all the berries that grow in our gardens, the most long-awaited and delicious is strawberries. Few people can resist its fragrant berries. Unfortunately, its fruiting period is not that long, and the berries themselves cannot be stored for long. Therefore, many housewives try to make jam out of it as quickly as possible. There are a lot of cooking options, but the most fragrant and beautiful is the delicacy with whole berries.
Basic subtleties of whole berry jam
In terms of its preparation, strawberry jam with whole berries differs from ordinary jam. Let us 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 cooking. In addition, soft and wrinkled strawberries will give a lot of juice during cooking, and the jam will turn out to be very liquid;
- The size of the berries is of great importance. Large berries are definitely not suitable for use: they will take longer to boil and will 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 low 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, under no circumstances should you cook it for longer than the recommended time. Overcooked jam loses all useful vitamins and minerals and contains nothing except taste;
- Strawberry delicacy should only be stored in a cold and dark room, for example, in a pantry, basement or closet.
By following these simple recommendations, you can prepare 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 their childhood. This is exactly how this delicacy has always been cooked. For this you should prepare:
- kilogram of strawberries;
- 1300 grams of granulated sugar.
The process of preparing strawberry delicacy according to this recipe can be divided into three stages:
- Preparing the berries. Fresh strawberries purchased or collected from your garden must be cleared of all leaves and stems. After this, it should be rinsed well under low pressure of water so as not to damage the integral structure of the berries. When all the water has drained from the berries, they must be transferred to a deep enamel container and covered with sugar. The berries should be left in this form for 6-7 hours. Therefore, it is better to start preparing the berries in the evening and leave them with sugar overnight. During this time, the strawberry should release juice. If after the specified time the strawberries have released little juice, you can wait another 1-2 hours.
- Boiling berries. When 6-7 hours have passed, the container with the berries should be brought to a boil over medium heat and cooked for 5-7 minutes.During the cooking process, foam will form, which must be skimmed off. It is very important not to damage the berries. The boiled jam must be cooled completely. After this, the cycle of cooking and cooling must be repeated 2 more times, but the cooking time should be reduced to 3-4 minutes.
- Closing the brew. After complete cooling, the thrice-cooked 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 baked goods. It can be used as a filling for pies and pancakes without fear of it leaking. To prepare it you will need:
- kilogram of strawberries;
- kilogram of granulated sugar;
- half a glass of water.
Strawberries must be cleared of stems and washed. When all the water has drained from the berries, they must be transferred to a deep enamel pan. Half of the prepared granulated sugar is poured on top of the strawberries. This is done so that the berries give juice.
The second half of the prepared granulated sugar will be used to prepare the 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 this, the pan with syrup and juice can be placed on medium heat and brought to a boil. In this case, you must remember the need for constant stirring. When the syrup and juice boil for 3-5 minutes, carefully add the berries and bring to a boil again.
Cook thick strawberry jam need 2 times. In this case, between two cookings it must be completely cooled. The second time, you need to cook it for 5-7 minutes, constantly skimming off the foam.
You can determine the readiness of the delicacy by its consistency: the finished jam should be thick and not spread. If you get exactly this consistency, then you can safely pour it 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 it with granulated sugar again.
French recipe for strawberry whole berry jam
The French have always been famous for their cuisine. They prepare any dish in their characteristic vision. This fate did not spare the strawberry delicacy either. The jam prepared according to this recipe turns out to be quite thick and aromatic, with light citrus notes in the taste.
To prepare it you will need:
- 2 kilograms of strawberries;
- 1400 grams of granulated sugar;
- half a lemon;
- orange.
Before you start preparing the strawberry delicacy according to this recipe, you need to peel the leaves from the strawberries, rinse them 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 stage in preparation is to obtain 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 lemon and orange juice should be added to the berries. After this, you can put the pan on medium heat and wait until it boils.In this case, the strawberry must be carefully lifted to the top so that the granulated sugar at the bottom of the pan dissolves faster. After the boil starts, 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 placed in another container, the syrup must be boiled again. In this case, the cooking time will depend on how thick the consistency should be obtained in the end. If you need to get 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 throughout the syrup, you need to carefully tilt the pan in different directions. It is not recommended to use a spoon or spatula for mixing. When they are distributed, you can return the pan to the heat 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 tasty treat, but also a decoration for any table.
