Content
Strawberry jam is far from a modern delicacy. Our ancestors prepared it for the first time many centuries ago. Since then, there have been significantly more recipes for making strawberry jam. But of all the ways to obtain this delicacy, it is the original method that stands out, in which the berries are not subjected to heat treatment. Strawberry jam without cooking the berries has many advantages. They and how to prepare jam in this way will be discussed below.
Benefits of jam without cooking
The point of any jam is not only its taste, but also the benefits of the berries, which can be sealed in jars for the winter.
A smaller part of the vitamins is lost if you cook for five minutes.
But strawberry jam without boiling the 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 beneficial substances.
In addition, strawberry jam without cooking the berries retains the taste and aroma of fresh strawberries. Another advantage is that preparing such a delicacy will take much less time than regular cooking.
But preparing berries this way has one drawback - you can only store the finished jam in the refrigerator.
Collection and preparation of strawberries for “live” jam
Since the taste of strawberries is especially noticeable in such jam, you should choose only the ripest ones. At the same time, you should not choose strawberries that are already overripe or bruised - it is better to eat them.
After washing, soft berries will give a lot of juice and become even softer. Jam made from them will be very liquid.
It is best to pick ripe strawberries for this delicacy in dry weather. But we must remember that it is not worth collecting it in advance. After collecting, you must immediately begin preparing the jam, otherwise it may spoil.
The collected strawberries must be sorted, removing the stalks, and washed well. Then it should be laid out on a paper towel to dry. It will take 10-20 minutes for it to dry, after which you can start preparing the “live” delicacy.
Classic recipe
This is a classic recipe for strawberry jam without cooking, which our ancestors used. The delicacy prepared according to this recipe turns out very fragrant.
For this recipe you need to prepare:
- 2 kilograms of strawberries;
- 1 kilogram of granulated sugar;
- 125 milliliters of water.
All leaves and stalks must be removed from harvested ripe berries. Only after this should they be washed in running water and dried. Dry berries should be placed in a clean bowl.
Now we need to cook the syrup. This is not difficult to do. To do this, put water with granulated sugar dissolved in it over medium heat and cook for 5-8 minutes.The finished syrup should be quite thick in consistency, but not white.
Pour the prepared, still hot syrup over the prepared strawberries and cover with a lid. Now you can give the syrup time to cool. During this time, the strawberry 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 pour the newly boiled syrup over the strawberries and leave to cool. The same procedure should be repeated again.
After the third boiling, the finished treat can be poured into sterile jars. But first you need to put the berries at the bottom of the jar, and only then fill them with syrup and close them. Until the jars cool completely, they should be covered with a blanket.
Quick recipe with photo
This is the easiest and fastest strawberry jam recipe you can have. As you can see in the photo, it only requires 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 placed in a deep bowl. All the granulated sugar is poured on top of it.
Cover the bowl with a lid or towel and leave at normal temperature overnight. During this time, the strawberry, under the influence of sugar, will give up all its juice.Therefore, in the morning you need to mix it thoroughly.
Only after this can the finished jam be poured into sterilized jars. Before closing the jar with a lid, pour sugar on top of the jam. In this case, sugar acts as a preservative, which stops the fermentation of the jam. Only after this 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 and pitted, chopped in a blender or passed through a meat grinder. It should be added almost just before closing the jars, when the strawberries with sugar have already produced juice.
Strawberry jam prepared according to these recipes will be simply irreplaceable during the winter cold, when you especially want warmth and summer.
