Strawberry Watermelon Summer Jam (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Sweeteners and Preservers
01 -
1 teaspoon unsalted butter if you want, totally optional
02 -
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice squeezed
03 -
1.75 ounces regular pectin (or scoop 6 tablespoons from a bulk container)
04 -
7 cups plain white sugar
→ Fruit Base
05 -
2.5 cups watermelon juice, strained after blending
06 -
2.5 cups strawberries, diced up (fresh or frozen is fine)
# Instructions:
01 -
Spoon cool jam into jars that are freezer-safe, leave 2.5 cm space at the top, then pop the lids on and freeze it. It'll keep good for up to a year.
02 -
If you don't want to bother canning, just let the jam cool down in clean jars, toss them in the fridge, and eat within a month once you open them.
03 -
Pull out your jars and set them on a towel to cool. Make sure they've all sealed right before you store at room temp. This way, they'll last about a year and a half.
04 -
Sink your jars into that big pot of boiling water. They need a full 10-minute head start down there.
05 -
Top your jars with the flat seals and tighten the lids with your hands. Don't burn yourself, so gloves help.
06 -
Scoop hot jam into jars with a ladle and use a funnel if you got one. Don’t fill all the way—leave a little gap at the top (about 0.6 cm). Wipe off the top with a wet cloth so there’s no goo.
07 -
Pop your clean jars into bubbling water for just a minute. Use jar tongs to grab them out, then flip them upside-down on a clean towel to dry off.
08 -
If you’re going old-school with canning, fill your big pot so water will cover the jars by at least 2.5 cm over the tops. Let it get really boiling.
09 -
Right after your timer goes off from boiling, get the pot off the burner and go straight to filling jars or getting your canning stuff ready.
10 -
When that jam’s mega-boiling, keep it going for 70 seconds—stir the whole time. Don’t walk away here.
11 -
Toss in all the sugar next, give things a good stir, then heat until it’s rolling and won’t calm down no matter how hard you stir.
12 -
Turn the stove to medium-high. Keep mixing the pot here and there until the jam mixture starts boiling really hard. You want it to keep boiling even when you stir.
13 -
Put the watermelon juice, strawberries, pectin, lemon juice, and if you’re feeling fancy, a dab of butter together into your heavy pot.
14 -
Squeeze that lemon out. If you’re going with butter for less bubbles, keep it handy.
15 -
Drop watermelon chunks into a food processor or blender, whiz until smooth, and pour through a strainer for your 2.5 cups juice.
# Notes:
01 -
You'll need about half a big watermelon to get enough juice for this batch. It fills at least six jars (240 ml size), maybe a bit more. Anything that won't fit in a jar goes in the fridge and should be eaten in about a month.
02 -
If a jar makes a popping noise when you press the lid, it didn’t seal and has to stay in the fridge.
03 -
Open up a jar and you’ve got 30 days to finish it. Go for standard (not low-sugar) bulk pectin, and always follow the instructions on the box.