Home Canning Strawberry Jam with Recipe and Tips

Every year I like to make a few jars of homemade Strawberry Jam using my water bath canner. I enjoy home canning and when I make strawberry jam I use the recipe in my Ball Blue Book. This jam is really easy-to-make and tastes 100% better than it’s store bought counterparts.

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You’ll need a water bath canner, glass half-pint mason jars, lids, rings and basic home canning supplies (canning funnel, ladle, jar lifter, seal-lid lifter, etc.). I recommend using old kitchen linens as they can become stained during this process. I keep a pile in my canning closet that I ONLY use when canning. This recipe will make approximately 8 half-pint jars.

Wash and dry all jars before starting the recipe. I also like to rinse my lids and rings. Lay them out on a cotton towel to dry while preparing the recipe.

Home Canning Strawberry Jam Recipe

2 quarts whole, fresh, strawberries
6 tablespoons Ball Classic Pectin
1/4 cup bottled or fresh lemon juice
7 cups granulated sugar

Prep: Wash strawberries under cold running water, drain. Remove stems and caps. Crush strawberries one layer at a time using a potato masher. (I do this in my large mixing bowl).

Cook: Combine strawberries, pectin, and lemon juice in a large saucepan, stirring to blend in pectin. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the granulated sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a rolling boil that can’t be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam if necessary.

Fill: Ladle hot jam into a hot jar, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim with a clean, cotton cloth. Center lid on jar and adjust ring (band) to fingertip-tight. Place jar on the rack elevated in simmering water in your water bath canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.

Process: Lower the rack into the simmering water. Water must cover jars by 1″ depth. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner and bring water to a rolling boil. Process half-pint jars for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars cool 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner, do not retighten bands if loose. Cool for 12 hours. Check seals. Label and store jars.

Additional Tips: I’ve been buying and using the new Ball seals/lids and love them! I can now keep my home canned goods for up to 18 months using their new seals. Making homemade jam can be a sticky task! Make sure you have a wet cloth nearby to wipe off your hands as you go along. You’ll want to clean-up your counter-tops as soon as your done because you can get staining. Toss all kitchen linens that were used during the process into the wash immediately when finished.

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