Edna Lewis’s Garden Strawberry Preserves
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Ingredients
Yield:5 5-ounce jars
- 3cups crushed strawberries
- 2½cups sugar
- Paraffin
Preparation
- Step 1
Set 5 5-ounce sterilized jars and lids, or 3½-pint jars in a pan of water over a low burner.
- Step 2
Wash berries in a bowl of cold water to make sure they are free of grit and dust. Remove berries by hand, and place them on a clean, dry towel to drain. Then remove the caps and crush berries slightly with a clean, odorless, wooden pestle or a strong coffee mug. Pour into a nonaluminum saucepan, and set over a low flame to heat.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, heat the sugar either in a double boiler or in a dish in the oven, being careful not to brown it, but making sure it becomes very hot (about 10 minutes at 350). Now pour the hot sugar over the berries, turning the burner up while stirring the sugar around. The cooking should be as brisk as possible without scorching; it should take about 9 minutes in all.
- Step 4
As soon as the preserves begin to boil up, a scum will rise on the surface; skim it off right away with a wooden or silver spoon. It is much better to skim while it's rapidly boiling, because that seems to cause the scum to remain in a mass, and it's easy to dip it out without getting too much of the syrup.
- Step 5
After 9 minutes of rapid cooking, pour the preserves into the hot jars, filling to about ⅛ inch from the top. Lift the jars out onto a dry surface to cool. When cold, carefully melt paraffin and pour into the filled jars. When paraffin is cool, put on the lids and seal.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Carol-Ann
It really does depend on the berries. Don't even think of doing this recipe unless you have access to locally grown super sweet, really ripe berries, it just won't be the same and if there has been a wet spring, don't do it, the berries will be too watery. That's why I didn't give it 100% in the star rating - the recipe isn't tricky, the strawberries are!
Earlene
I purée the berries and mix with the sugar and leave on the counter overnight. Same proportions. Jelling is almost immediate.
Liz
Be aware that the USDA no longer recommends using paraffin for preserving. This jam should be stored in the fridge.
Jean L
The way my mother showed me to do the paraffin was to first put about a teaspoon on the hot jam. This seals it and keeps it sterile. Pop any bubbles in the paraffin with a toothpick. When the jam is cool, add another teaspoon, tilting the jar so that the edges are sealed. Do not put lots and lots of paraffin because if too thick it will pull away from the jar and break the seal.
Anna
I made this recipe with Allulose instead of cane sugar for my diabetic friend however the 1:1 conversion resulted in a strawberry sauce rather a spreadable preserve.
Joe
Super easy and really very good. Plus a good amount of wow factor when you pour the heated sugar over the strawberries (after three months of lockdown with our 7yr old, we take whatever entertainment we can get!). As with most (if not all) simple recipes- the outcome is highly dependent on the quality of the ingredients. We’ve made this twice, both times with supremely ripe, just- picked berries from a local farm.
Swanny B
Ingredients call for "crushed berries" to start.
Then step 2 instructs us to wash and dry presumably whole berries.
Suggest you fix the ingredient list to reflect X amount of whole berries and at the end of step 3, say "you should have 3 cups crushed berries."
Liz
Be aware that the USDA no longer recommends using paraffin for preserving. This jam should be stored in the fridge.
Earlene
I purée the berries and mix with the sugar and leave on the counter overnight. Same proportions. Jelling is almost immediate.
Jean L
I find it very difficult to get it to jell. I even add lemon juice, which is supposed to help. Boil, boil, boil, no jell. Just tasty syrup.
Carol-Ann
It really does depend on the berries. Don't even think of doing this recipe unless you have access to locally grown super sweet, really ripe berries, it just won't be the same and if there has been a wet spring, don't do it, the berries will be too watery. That's why I didn't give it 100% in the star rating - the recipe isn't tricky, the strawberries are!
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