Strawberry jam: with lemon, gelatin, basil, five-minute recipe, how to prepare, boil with lemon juice

Content

1 Why add lemon to strawberry jam?
2 Selection and preparation of ingredients
3 Recipes for strawberry jam with lemon
4 Terms and conditions of storage
5 Conclusion

Strawberry jam is one of the most popular homemade preparations. It is valued for its amazing taste and aroma and ease of preparation. However, in addition to the “classic” five-minute meal, there are other recipes. Many of them include additional ingredients; the taste of the dessert only benefits from this. For example, you can make strawberry jam with lemon. It not only “shades out” the sweetness of the berry, but also increases the shelf life of the product.

Why add lemon to strawberry jam?

Lemon is added to strawberry jam for several reasons:

Not everyone likes sickly sweet homemade desserts. Lemon very successfully “balances” the taste of jam, adding a slight pleasant sourness to the sweetness. To determine the exact ratio of ingredients to your taste, you will have to experiment.
Homemade food becomes healthier.Everyone knows that lemon is high in vitamin C, which is necessary to strengthen the immune system and prevent colds and viral diseases. Ascorbic acid does not tolerate heat treatment without loss, but most of it is retained in strawberry jam. This dessert will help cope with winter and spring vitamin deficiency.
The acid contained in citrus fruits is a natural preservative. Strawberry jam without lemon has a shorter shelf life. It is especially recommended to add citrus to the preparation if its recipe calls for a relatively small amount of sugar (it also has preservative properties).
Lemon contains pectins. This makes the jam thicker. Subsequently, it is more convenient to use it as a filling for baked goods or a layer for cakes.

Strawberries and lemon are a very good combination for homemade preparations.

Important! Strawberry-lemon jam looks more aesthetically pleasing. The berries retain their brightness and color saturation.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

The most suitable strawberries for jam, of course, are those collected from your own garden bed. The variety can be any. However, if you plan to keep the berries whole, it is better when they are small or medium in size.

If you don’t have your own strawberries, you have to buy them. If possible, this is done on the market. Jam made from store-bought berries is often practically devoid of a characteristic aroma and taste, because they are treated with various chemicals to increase their shelf life.

Strawberries for jam should be ripe, with dense pulp. Neither unripe berries nor the so-called “substandard” are suitable. The first - because they do not have the taste and aroma that they should “give” to the dessert. The finished product does not even have a characteristic color; it is unusually pale and sour.Overripe, wrinkled berries that have already begun to rot make watery and very unsightly jam. In addition, it will quickly spoil if even a small piece of rotten pulp is missed during preparation.

Before making jam, strawberries need to be washed thoroughly. The pulp of ripe berries is very tender, therefore, in order not to damage them, they are placed in a large basin or bowl and filled with cool water. After about 15-20 minutes, soil particles and plant debris are separated from the skin.

After this, the strawberries are removed from the container in small portions by hand, transferred to a colander, and excess water is allowed to drain. The berries are finally dried by spreading them on paper or linen napkins or towels.

Wash the strawberries gently, but very thoroughly.

The final stage is the removal of the stalks and sepals. Here, too, you need to act carefully so as not to crush the strawberries.

As for lemon, any citrus purchased in a store is suitable for jam, the skin of which is painted in an even, typically “lemon” color and has no mechanical damage. It must be washed thoroughly and scalded with boiling water. Next, depending on what is indicated in the recipe, remove the zest from the lemon using a grater or knife (only the yellow layer, the white one is unpleasantly bitter), squeeze out the juice or cut into thin slices, simultaneously removing the seeds.

Recipes for strawberry jam with lemon

Lemon in strawberry jam provides the taste of the “classic” homemade preparation with some exoticism and piquancy. There are quite a lot of recipes with this ingredient, but the ideal ratio of acid and sweetness for yourself will have to be determined experimentally.

How to make strawberry jam with lemon

For the “basic” version of strawberry jam with lemon you will need:

fresh strawberries – 1 kg;
sugar – 1 kg;
medium-sized lemon – 1 pc.

It is prepared like this:

Cover washed and dried strawberries with sugar and let stand for about an hour.
When the juice begins to stand out, add lemon to the same container. It is cut into quarters, each turned into thin slices.
Place the container on the stove over low heat. After 5-7 minutes, if enough juice has been released, stir gently.
Let the jam boil. Make the fire a little stronger. Skimming off the foam, cook for another 20-30 minutes, achieving the desired consistency. “Classic” jam is considered ready when a drop of it that falls from a spoon does not spread onto the saucer. But, focusing on your own taste, you can make it thicker or thinner.
Place into jars and close with lids.

If desired, the volume of sugar in the jam can be increased or, conversely, taken more lemons

Important! Lemon jam (strawberry or any other berry) cannot be prepared in metal containers. Otherwise, almost all vitamin C is destroyed.

Strawberry jam with gelatin and lemon

Strawberry jam with lemon turns out very thick if you add gelatin. The consistency is more like jam. Required ingredients:

fresh strawberries – 1 kg;
sugar – 1 kg;
medium-sized lemon – 1 pc.;
gelatin – 1 sachet (10 g).

The dessert is prepared like this:

Place the strawberries in a suitable container and cover with sugar. Place on low heat.
When the juice starts to release, stir gently and increase the heat to medium.
Let the jam boil. Reduce heat to low again. Cook for another half hour, periodically skimming off the foam.
Pour in the juice squeezed from the lemon, and after ten minutes remove from the heat.
Immediately add the prepared gelatin. Instructions are always on the packaging.The standard option is to fill it with water in a ratio of 1:8, let the mass swell for about half an hour, and then heat over low heat or a water bath until the lumps are completely dissolved.
Stir the jam for 2-3 minutes, pour into jars, and roll them up.

You can safely decorate pastries and cakes with the finished dessert; it definitely won’t spread.

Important! Strawberry jam with lemon and gelatin is very convenient to eat with pancakes, cheesecakes, pancakes, without fear of staining your clothes or tablecloth.

Five-minute strawberry jam with lemon

This recipe makes strawberry jam with lemon juice very quickly. The ingredients you will need are the same as for the first recipe.

Then proceed like this:

Cover the berries with sugar and let stand for 3-4 hours, shaking the container occasionally.
Add lemon juice there and put on the stove.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, skimming off any foam.
Reduce it to minimum. After five minutes, remove the container from the stove.
Place the jam into jars and close.

Important! The finished jam turns out to be relatively liquid, but retains the maximum benefits and taste of fresh berries.

A not very thick dessert suitable for soaking biscuits

Strawberry jam with lemon zest

For preparation you will need:

fresh strawberries – 1.5 kg;
sugar – 1 kg;
medium-sized lemon – 1 pc.

The process is quite lengthy:

Cover the strawberries with sugar (preferably in layers) and leave for 6-8 hours. If you shake the container periodically, you will get more juice.
Place on low heat, bring to a boil, add lemon zest.
After 2-3 minutes, remove from heat and let cool completely. This takes 5-6 hours.
Bring to a boil again, immediately remove from heat, and cool.
Cook for the third time until tender - 20-25 minutes after boiling.Place into jars and seal.

Externally, the zest in the workpiece is not noticeable in any way, but the taste is very good

Important! If desired, you can add vanillin (about 1 tsp) or natural vanilla (1/3 pod) to the jam. The ingredient does not “interrupt” the taste of strawberries; on the contrary, it highlights it favorably and makes it richer.

Strawberry jam with basil and lemon

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

fresh strawberries – 1 kg;
sugar – 0.75 kg;
medium-sized lemon – 1 pc.;
fresh basil leaves – 15-20 pcs.

How to make strawberry jam with lemon and basil:

Place strawberries, sugar and finely chopped or minced lemon into a container. Mix carefully and let stand for 2-3 hours.
Bring to a boil over low heat, add basil leaves. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and cool completely.
Repeat twice more. There is no need to cool the jam the last time. It is immediately laid out in jars and covered with lids.

Important! Instead of regular sugar, you can use cane sugar; it is not as sweet, so you will need more of it (about 1 kg). Dessert with it acquires a very original taste.

Basil can be added not only to jam, but also to other homemade preparations with strawberries

Strawberry jam with lemon and mint

To prepare it you will need:

fresh strawberries – 1 kg;
sugar – 0.75-1 kg;
medium-sized lemon – 1 pc.;
fresh mint leaves – 15-20 pcs.

It’s easy to make strawberry jam with lemon and mint:

Cover the berries with sugar and leave for 4-5 hours, shaking the container occasionally.
Bring to a boil over low heat, after five minutes add mint leaves, after another five minutes remove from heat, cool completely.
Put it back on the stove.Five minutes after boiling, add lemon zest and juice. Cook for another 15 minutes. Let it brew for 8-10 hours.
Boil the jam again, immediately after boiling, remove from heat, and pour into jars.

Mint strawberry jam has a very unusual, refreshing taste

Important! The dessert turns out quite liquid. Therefore, it can be diluted with regular drinking or sparkling water, resulting in something like a strawberry mojito.

Terms and conditions of storage

Strawberry jam with lemon for the winter, provided the technology for its preparation is followed, can be stored for up to three years. Moreover, it does not have to be kept in the refrigerator. Any dark, fairly cool place will do. In a house this could be a cellar, basement, attic, in an apartment - a pantry, a glassed-in balcony.

A necessary condition for long-term storage is complete sterility. Therefore, not only berries, but also containers need preliminary preparation. Jars and lids must be sterilized by first washing them thoroughly, first with dishwashing detergent, then with baking soda.

Classic “grandmother’s” methods are to hold the containers over a boiling kettle or “fry” them in the oven. Now you can use modern household appliances - a multicooker, a microwave oven, a convection oven. Immediately before closing the jars of strawberry jam, the lids are placed in any container of suitable size for 2-3 minutes and poured with boiling water.

The finished product is placed in jars immediately, hot. Then the containers are turned upside down, wrapped in a blanket and allowed to cool completely. Only then can they be put away in a suitable place for storage.If this is not done, condensation will inevitably accumulate under the lid, causing mold to develop, and it may also rust.

Conclusion

Strawberry jam with lemon is thicker and brighter than regular jam. But the main difference is, of course, the taste. Not everyone likes the sugary sweetness of the dessert. And when lemon is added, especially in combination with herbs, the jam becomes slightly sour, the taste is very balanced. Making such preparations for the winter is extremely simple, it does not take much time. Having several recipes allows you to experiment and find or create the most suitable option for yourself.