Canned Strawberry Honey Jam
I have had enough of Winter! Snow continues to fall almost every day and my Spring Fever is in full go! In order to get me through those February gloomy days in Ohio, I decided that this week I would dust off my water bath canner and put it into use. Nothing makes it feel more like summer than hearing those jars “pop” as they cool on the counter top.
So, in my quest to break the winter blues, I decided to buy strawberries from the grocery store and begin my experiment for the perfect strawberry jam. As most of you know, we are trying to make most of our food from natural ingredients. We are trying to eliminate as much white flour and white sugar from our diet as we can. If you have ever made homemade strawberry jam, you know that for about every 2 pints of strawberries, you need 7 cups (yes, 7 cups!) of sugar to make traditional jam.
Spreading the jam – it is a little thinner than traditional jam, but much better and healthier!
Although I love a PB&J sandwiches as much as the next person, I don’t like the fact that the sweetness of jam comes from that much sugar.
I have to say that for a first attempt to make an all natural jam – it’s become a huge hit in the house! It’s a touch thinner than traditional jam since pectin is the traditional thickening agent, but oh so good!
The best part is it’s simple to make and uses only 4 natural ingredients, using apples, which are high in pectin, to thicken the jam. It is the perfect consistency for that PB&J sandwich or the perfect topping on that bowl of ice cream. Whatever you choose to do with it – you can rest easy knowing that all the ingredients are natural and not full of white sugar!
Strawberry Honey Jam
Strawberries, Grated Apple, Lemon and Honey – 4 simple ingredients for All Natural Jam
6 lbs of fresh strawberries
3 3/4 cup raw honey
2 small granny smith apples
1 1/2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 of a large lemon)
INSTRUCTIONS:
As the ingredients boil, skim off the foam and discard.
1. Hull strawberries and cut in each strawberry in half (or quarters if large), place in a large stockpot
2. Cut the sides of the apples away from the core and grate the apple leaving the skins on. (I used my food processor) Place in pot with the strawberries.
3. Juice a lemon until you get 1 1/2 tablespoons of juice and poor into the stock pot.
Pour into hot mason jars to begin the canning process.
4. Pour the honey into the pot and stir.
5. Heat mixture on high until boiling stirring occasionally. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to medium low to simmer.
Water bath for 10 minutes, remove from heat and let cool overnight.
6. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes until the strawberries become soft. Using a potato masher, mash the strawberries so there are no recognizable sections. If you have an immersion blender, you can use this instead.
7. Simmer for another 15-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The longer the mixture simmers, the thicker the consistency. (Remember, this will not be as thick as the consistency made with sugar and/or pectin).
8. Strawberry Honey Jam can either be placed in freezer safe jars, or canned using a water bath for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Mary and Jim
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I am try that jam immediately!
Thank you! Let us know how it turns out.
so do you store in freezer safe cans, in the freezer? how does this store? and how do you do a water bath?
You can store them in the freezer when using freezer safe jars (which are different than canning jars). You water bath by placing the hot jam in hot jars, seal them with a lid and band, place in a large pot of hot water about an inch above the top of the jars and boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars and place on a towel on the counter top to cool at least 12 hours. The jars are sealed when you hear the ‘pop’ of the lids and you can no longer press the lid up and down.
So going to try this!! Thanks for the post “)
Your welcome! We hope you enjoy it!
I have gallon bags of strawberries that I froze this summer. Would it be ok to use those?
Frozen strawberries would work just fine!
Please post if you use the frozen berries and it’s a success! I have 2(ea gallon bags of June 2012 strawberries that I’d love to use! I’m just concerned with the different ‘moisture’ content compared to fresh berries
Does it have to be done with Raw honey & Fresh Lemon? How long will it keep in the freezer? I stumbled on this from Canning Granny
No, you can use any honey and lemon juice – we just prefer to keep ours as natural as possible, but I am sure it would taste just as good! You can store it in the freezer for at least 6 months in freezer safe jars.
This looks very easy and yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
It is very easy -especially when using only 4 ingredients. I am having a hard time keeping it in the house – wondering if I even needed to can it
If you wanted, could you go ahead and use pectin instead of the apples? New to canning and jam making and not sure of how the science works yet.
You can use pectin per the instructions on the box, however, because this recipe calls for no sugar, be sure to buy the pectin that is for sugarless jams. (usually in a pink box). Hope this helps!!!
originally jamming was done with only apples if they were needed. Apples (and Quince) have alot of natural pectin. Be comfy using the apples, it’s pectin o’naturel. Cheers
This sounds wonderful. I will definitely be trying this.
Thanks Becky! Let us know how you like it!
how many pints did this recipe make ?
It made 6 pints and a little extra for sampling around the house
I would love to make this, i hate all the sugar in jam and I have piles of honey, no strawberries yet though! +c
Soon Cecilia, Soon
I am trying to be patient! c
Reblogged this on From Michigan to Montana.
The more sour an apple the higher the pectin content. I’m not sure that using crabapples would taste as good but you may find it gels thicker. Just a funny jam anecdote, my Nanna was concerned when we here in Australia changed from imperial measurements to metric that she wouldn’t be able to convert her jam recipe of 1lb fruit to 1lb sugar.
I’ve also heard (although not tried) that dried apricots can make a wonderful sugar free jam too.
I will be not only sharing but trying your jam recipe too. Just need to source some organic strawberries and apples.
Thanks for the tip on the apples.Can you recommend Any particular type of Apple? I am new to canning & Live on the West Coast if that helps.
I’m in Victoria Australia so I’m not going to be any help at all. When I made a mint jelly (with sugar but no pectin) I just used the nameless variety hanging over our fence which weren’t yet ripe. The jelly was more like sweet rubber.
I used Granny Smith apples – if you can find slightly under ripened apples, those contain the most pectin and should work great. Just don’t use over ripe apples, or they won’t thicken the jam. Good luck!
It is amazing how much sugar is in traditional jam. The under ripened apples are the best to use since they hold the most pectin. Good luck finding the organic strawberries and apples – that sometimes can be difficult depending on your location.
We have organic apples growing just up the street in someones garden tree but the organic berries I have in the freezer are insufficient. There are pick your own places locally though.
Thanks for sharing this Mary. Jam has been a sticking point for me for a long time – my daughter will be delighted to see this alternative!
So glad you like it!
Got mine simmering on the stove to thicken. Flavor is fabulous. Does not need lemon juice, though. It’s got a perfect sweet/tart balance without it. So glad I found this recipe!
So glad you like the recipe!
Your right on the lemon juice regarding the flavor -and if your going to freeze – its no problem at all. However – if you will be canning, you want to make sure to include the lemon juice because it helps to preserve the jam from going bad. Mary
I can’t wait to try this! We use as little sugar as possible too. I substitute sucanat, but would love to make a jam without the sugar and pectin. We have tons of strawberries at this time of year. nThank you for experimenting on our behalf!
Let us know what you think Daisy!
Thank you very much for sharing this. I have recently diagnoised a diabetic (type2) and I love jam..now I can eat this without so much worry of sugar content.
As a diabetic you always have to worry about the sugar content, but natural sugars (like those found in honey) are much better than added sugar. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi, Just wondering if you can cook it in a slow cooker instead of on the stove top?
Karen, I have never tried it in the slow cooker, however, I do make my apple butter than way and it turns out just fine. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out.
Hi, I would love to do this. What is the shelf life for this recipe? Thanks
If you use the water bath canning method, it will be good for at least a year.
Can you use tapioca powder as a thickener?
I would not recommend using tapioca powder to thicken this jam. Tapioca is a starch thickener and is best used when thickening items such as pie fillings or dishes that are served immediately after adding the powder. Because it is flour based it would not be ideal for canning. Hope this helps!
Fresh strawberries are in the market in Louisiana. Great use of them, plus have fresh honey here. No big national market and a bunch of people have lemon trees. Apples would be the only item we don’t have an abundance of.
I can not wait until our strawberries are in season. We will also be adding bee hives to the farm this year for our own honey
. However, we have no chance of lemon trees, but we have plenty of apple trees. It’s all about location, location, location 
Thanks for visiting our site.
Sounds yummy, how long can this Jam be stored on the shelf? I saw your message that in the freezer it would be 6 months. Thanks.
If you water bath the jam, it can be stored on the shelf for at least 1 year –but don’t worry, it won’t last that long.
Can’t wait to try this recipe
Thanks Holly for checking out our recipe!
I am going to make this I have Strawberries in the Freezer and have honey and Lemons just have to get the apples and I am all set. I keep thinking how this is going to taste on My ome made Bread. Oh My Soooooooo Good
We had it on our own 100% whole wheat bread tonight for a dessert – and you are right – oh so good!!!
How many pints would it make?
It makes about 6 pints and a little extra to try
How many pints will this recipe make??
It makes right around 6 pints with a little left over for tasting.
I have two big bags of peaches in the freezer from this past summer — do you think they would work the same/as well as the strawberries?
Sallie, I think either an all peach or a mixture of peach and strawberry would make an excellent jam! Let us know how it turns out if you try it.
Can the strawberries be substituted with peaches or other fruits? This sounds delicious! I live in Oklahoma and peaches are plentiful during the summer months.
I think it would be excellent with peaches! I wish we could grow peaches here!!!
I’m going to do this this week. I’m so excited!
I’m very excited to try this recipe. Will get it done this week. Thank you.
You are welcome!! Let us know how it turns out.
The jams turned out great, slightly thin as you stated, but great flavor. Thumbs up from all the kiddos, and hubby. Thanks for sharing, and now I’ll share a jar with my neighbor
I am so excited to try this recipe!! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome Maralee! Thanks for stopping by our blog.
I wonder what benefit comes with using honey instead of sugar, and are those benefits still present after heating to a high temperature for that amount of time
Good questions Nancy. We use honey in order to prevent using white sugar. We are trying to avoid as much white sugar and white flour as possible and are attempting to use as much ‘natural’ ingredients as possible. The honey in this recipe is used for adding sweetness, not necessarily for the other great health benefits that honey can offer in a raw form (enzymes, flavor, etc..). The heating in this recipe provides us with the sweetness, dulling the strong flavor of honey which allows the strawberry flavor to come through, without the use of white sugar. Thanks for stopping by our blog!
I was wondering if you could use agave necter instead of honey.? I have used it in other recipes that call for honey. Since agave doesn’t spike your blood sugar like honey does.
I have never tried substituting agave nectar for 100% of the honey. I know a 50/50 mixture of agave and honey works well. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
would this work with raspberries?
Raspberries would work great with this recipe!
The less mature the apple, the more pectin it contains. If you live next to an orchard, ask a farmer for some a month or so before they are ready to pick. You should have great success thickening things up with that. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you!
Great tip Michelle! Thanks for sharing it.
Where do you find fresh strawberries in the middle of an Ohio winter?
Some greenhouse suppliers have them, or you can find organic strawberries at specialty grocery stores.
You mean you don’t know how to make your Own Homemade (with Apple Peels) Fruit Pectin? Maybe you can watch one of these: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Making+Pectin&oq=Making+Pectin&gs_l=youtube.3…47050.52528.0.56663.8.6.0.2.2.0.243.1056.0j5j1.6.0…0.0…1ac.1.V4Hay3-I9c4
Robin, I prefer not to make powdered pectin – I just use the apples since they have a high amount of pectin in them. Thanks for sharing the link
I wonder, would this same idea work with figs?
I have not personally worked with figs — if you try it, please let us know how it turns out.
going to be trying this recipe this spring. do you have your own bees? Do you make your own bread? I noticed in the pic above the bread. If that is store bought bread it has an ingredient in it that is used to make tennis shoes.
We are very excited that we will be adding bees this spring to the farm. Can’t wait until we have our own honey! As for the bread, we make our own — check out our most popular 100% whole wheat bread recipe under our Friday Recipe tab. http://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2013/01/25/100-whole-grain-wheat-bread-recipe-do-you-know-whats-in-your-bread/
Thank you. I am still trying to get the bees to move. when we moved to our new home, there were some bees that had made a hive underneath the little barn. I have a bee box and they are now traveling back and forth through it. I am hoping they will slowly move into it. Either that or will have to get someone to extract them. Have put your site in my favorites and thank you for the bread recipe. I usually make sour dough, but have been wanting a good whole wheat recipe. thank you.
How long will the Jam last if canned?? I can’t wait to try this recipe
It will last at least 1 year on the shelf if canned
This is great. I’ve been trying to use honey more than sugar and didn’t even think of this. Thanks for sharing.
Your welcome – we hope you enjoy it!
Just bought some strawberries this week, was hoping to try something like this. Thanks!
We hope that you like it as much as we do!
made today in a crock pot, and it’s delicious! thanks for the inspiration!
what is the expected shelf life
1 year if you can them.
Strawberry jam is so yummy, and this looks especially good, seeing it is extra healthy! Care to share at my Healthy Tuesday hop? ahumblebumble.blogspot.com
This looks wonderful! Could you do this with blackberries, too? My DH LOVES blackberry jam. Thank you!
Absolutely -blackberry honey jam — YUM!!!!
scanning thru the comments & see this reply. awesome. was wondering if other berries could be used. we would just want to use the same amount by weight then correct? This sounds so good. can’t wait to try it.
I’m going to have to give this jam a try…..I haven’t tried jam with honey instead of sugar but I have done peaches,pears and cherries with great results…..I too have had enough winter!
That sounds good too!!! Bring on Spring!
I am getting started right now! So excited for this, it is my first try making jam, wish me luck!
Good luck Vanessa!!! Let us know how it turns out.
Yum! Thanks so much for sharing this on The Creative HomeAcre! I can’t wait to see what you share next time at…
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-creative-homeacre-hop-5.html
Will be trying this. So easy.
Rhonda, it is very quick and easy – and the taste is amazing!
We are able to get blueberries very inexpensively in August by picking our own. I wonder if this would work well with blueberries? I think it might be worth a try! Thanks for the recipe!
If you try it, let us know how it turns out! I love blueberries!!!
Can’t wait to try this! We’d love for you to link this up at our party! http://www.housewivesofriverton.com/2013/02/riverton-housewives-round-up-54.html
I am needing a little direction….followed the recipe. Jelly is pretty thin…its been simmering 1 hr.
The jam will be much thinner than what you would see in traditional jam. A good way to test it would be like when cooled – place a little drop on a cold plate and let sit in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. If the consistency is good – then it is done. It will thicken when it cools. The consistency could vary based on a couple of factors – humidity, altitude, type and size of apples, etc..
Hope this helps!
Mary
All is well…the jam turned out just fine. My family loves it!
That is wonderful!!! – Mary
Can you do this with blue berries as well?
Started my spring break by making this jam. Pretty easy to do as I had never tried anything like this before. The finished product has a great flavor. Will be making more when this supply runs out. Maybe by then I can get some fresh strawberries rather than store bought.
Do you know by chance how long the jam will last in the fridge once the can is opened?
I wonder if you can use pinapple instead of the apple?
Excited to try this as we are trying to cut out as much white sugar as possible – I tried looking through all of the comments and did not see anyone ask about Agave Nectar – I just used it in the strawberry lemonade concentrate – do you know of any reason why it wouldn’t work with this recipe?
Mary actually has been wanting to try that with the recipe as well – so if you do – you will have to let us know how it turns out
How much does this recipe yield?
Mary posted earlier that it made 6 pints, with a little left to snack on.
Tonight, I was gathering a few things that I needed to make the jam and saw dehydrated strawberries. I wonder if using some dehydrated strawberries in part of the required 6 lbs would help make this thicker since, obviously, some of the water content would not be there. Just a thought
made this last night and it was very simple to make. Also I got 8 pints.