Runny Strawberry Jam

[puternut]

My OH Is a really good cook and does try her hand to anything. The past couple of years - since moving out of the city - she has made jam from locally grown fruit.

Blackberry seems to be her favourite and as we head to this years crop we are just about finishing last years jam & jelly.

My question is that she has attempted strawberry jam a few weeks ago and it simply refuses to 'set' and whilst the taste is right - not too much sugar - it is as runny as gravy!!!

She says she thinks it might be a lack of pectin? She does add a little lemon juice which I believe might be a help but it is not working too well.

Any advice from other ABers would be appreciated but questions to me might be difficult as I can just about boil water without burning it.

[welshlibranr]

lack of pectin is the problem, always a problem when making strawberry jam, I add apples, always works!.....no change in taste, but it sets a treat!..........

[Jemisa]

Hope this helps.

jem Media URL: http://www.healthysupplies.co.uk/pectin-certo.html?gclid=CJO9xOjp7akCFUwc4QoduUhSYA
Description:

[Jemisa]

http://www.healthysup...Ojp7akCFUwc4QoduUhSYA

If not this time Get Certo Pectin in Boots about £2.75 a bottle, works very well.

jem

[Clanad]

The problem is probably to large of a batch... never more than 6 cups of the prepared fruit. After that, not enough cooking. The fruit/sugar mixture needs to be boiled gently until it reaches the "sheeting" stage. Keep a large metal spoon in a cup of ice water... when the spoon dipped in the mixture "sheets" of the spoon rather than runs it's ready.
Additionally, as already suggested, pectin can fix this problem... even now. Place all of the mixture (should have been one cup of sugar to one cup of fruit) in a heavy pan and bring to a boil. Mix 2 packages of Sure Jell Certo Pectin (powdered) into 1/2 extra cup of sugar and stir into boiling mixture. Boil hard for one minute and the place in hot jars, Place lids on jars finger tigth and put in yet another pan of hot water that covers the jars just above the lids and boil for 10 minutes... remove and let cool.

Under normal conditions use only 1 and 1/2 packages of the pectin.

Your proposed blackberry jam (we call it "preserves" here in the western U.S.) should be canned the same way.... squash the fruit somewhat with a potato masher to bring out the flavor (be sure to use new jar lids, don't reuse the old ones!)

[Clanad]

By the way, here's a conversion chart in case you don't do "cups"...

http://www.explorator...ert/measurements.html

Best of luck!

[nannakath]

Add gooseberies which deliver the pectin for strawberry and gooseberry.
My strawberry jam tends to be runny but still keeps until next year. 1lb of fruit to same of sugar. I used the juice of 1 lemon to 4lbs of strawberries. I`ve not tried `certo` as yet.

[puternut]

Thank you all (guy & gals) for your replies. I will pass on all info to my OH and inform you of the results as and when

8-)