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Of all the berries that grow in our gardens, strawberries are the most long-awaited and delicious. Few can resist its fragrant berries. Unfortunately, its fruiting is not so long, and the berries themselves cannot be stored for a long time. Therefore, many housewives are trying to quickly close the jam from it. There are a lot of cooking options, but the most fragrant and beautiful is a delicacy with whole berries.
The main subtleties of whole-berry jam
In terms of its preparation, strawberry jam with whole berries is different from ordinary jam. Let's 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 preparation. 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 boil longer and 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, it is necessary to rinse them only under a small 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 not only be tasty, but also healthy. Therefore, in no case should it be cooked longer than the recommended time. Overcooked jam loses all useful vitamins and minerals and carries nothing but taste;
- Store your strawberry treat only in a cold and dark room, such as a closet, basement, or closet.
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 basically how this delicacy has always been brewed. For him, you should prepare:
- a kilogram of strawberries;
- 1300 grams of granulated sugar.
The process of making strawberry treats according to this recipe can be roughly divided into three stages:
- Preparation of berries... Fresh strawberries purchased or collected from your garden must be cleaned of all leaves and tails. After that, it should be well rinsed under a low pressure of water so as not to damage the whole structure of the berries. When all the water drains from the berries, they must be transferred to a deep enamel container and covered with sugar. In this form, the berries should be left for 6-7 hours. Therefore, it is better to start preparing the berries in the evening to leave them with sugar overnight. During this time, the strawberry should release juice. If, after the specified time, the strawberries have released little juice, then you can wait another 1-2 hours.
- Cooking berries... When 6-7 hours have passed, the container with berries should be brought to a boil over medium heat and cook for 5-7 minutes. During the cooking process, foam will form, which must be removed. In this case, it is very important not to damage the berries. The boiled jam must be completely cooled. After that, the cooking and cooling cycle must be repeated 2 more times, but the cooking time must be reduced to 3-4 minutes.
- Jam closure... After complete cooling, three times boiled jam can be poured into pre-washed and sterilized jars.The lids of the cans must be tightened 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 great for those who love sweet pastries. It can be used as a filling for pies and pancakes without the fear of leaking out. To prepare it you will need:
- a kilogram of strawberries;
- a kilogram of granulated sugar;
- half a glass of water.
Strawberries must be peeled and rinsed. When all the water drains from the berries, they must be transferred to an enamel deep 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, the 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 that, the saucepan with syrup and juice can be placed over medium heat and brought to a boil. In this case, one must remember the need for constant stirring. When the syrup with juice boils for 3-5 minutes, you need to carefully add berries to them and bring to a boil again.
Cook thick strawberry jam need 2 times. In this case, between two brews, it must be completely cooled. The second time it is necessary to cook it for 5-7 minutes, constantly removing the foam from it.
You can determine the readiness of a delicacy by its consistency: the finished jam should be thick and not spread. If this is the consistency that has turned out, then it can be safely poured 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 cook any dish in their characteristic vision. This fate was not spared by the strawberry delicacy. 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 cooking strawberry treats according to this recipe, you need to peel the strawberries from the leaves, rinse 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 getting juice from lemon and orange in any convenient way. Some recipes also use lemon zest, but for French jam you only need juice.
The resulting lemon and orange juice must be added to the berries. After that, you can put the pan over medium heat and wait until it boils. In this case, the strawberries must be carefully lifted up so that the granulated sugar at the bottom of the pan dissolves faster. After boiling 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 work as well. When all the berries are determined in another container, the syrup must be boiled again. In this case, the cooking time will depend on how thick the consistency needs to be obtained in the end. If you need to get a thicker jam, then you need to cook it longer.
When the syrup is ready, all the berries that have been extracted must be returned to it.In order for them to be evenly distributed over the syrup, you must carefully tilt the pan in different directions. It is not recommended to use a mixing spoon or spatula. When they are distributed, you can return the pan to the heat and cook for another 15 minutes.
The finished hot treat must be poured into pre-sterilized jars and tightly closed.
Strawberry jam, prepared according to any of these recipes, will become not only a delicious treat, but also a decoration for any table.
