Strawberry Honeyberry Jam

What a great day!  Checked out a Berry Farm close to our house, for some berry picking with the boys.  We picked Strawberries and Honeyberries….so absolutely delish!  The strawberries were so sweet and it was such a great experience for the kids.  The place we went does not use pesticides which is great too.

Once we had all the berries home (the ones that made it here anyway) – not sure how many strawberries the boys devoured on the ride home.  Eating strawberries like this really makes you realize how crappy the grocery store strawberries really are.

This is only the second time I have made jam and I the recipe I found on the certo box horrified me when I saw how much sugar they asked for (even more than the berries)…so I researched a little and decided to try to make jam without pectin and use less sugar (although there was still a fair amount).  Next time I will try to reduce even a little more and see what happens.  But I have to say, after tasting my yummy jam I’m pretty happy with the texture and the results.

 – 6 cups fresh strawberries
 – 1 cup fresh honeyberries
 – 3 cups sugar
 – 1/4 cup lemon juice
 – 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
 – 1 cinnamon stick
 – 1 star anise (whole)

Place all the berries in a large saucepan and mash with a potato masher to your desired consistency over low heat.  Add in your sugar, lemon juice, balsamic, cinnamon stick and star anise, turn up the temp. stir and bring to a boil.  Skim foam as you cook and let boil, stirring frequently for about 30-35 mins or until candy thermometer reaches 220F.  Another method to check is to keep a spoon in a cup with ice water, when you think its finished put a little on the spoon, let it cool and see if you like the consistency.

Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise.

Pour into sterilized 250ml mason jars (this recipe yeilds three jars), using a funnel pour leaving only 1/4 inch room at the top and process for 15 minutes.

If you have never canned before, be sure to sterilize all your jars, tongs, lids, etc.  I put my canning jars in the oven at 225F for 10 mins to sterilize and I boil the lids, tongs, funnel etc.

Process in a large canning pot with a lid for 15 minutes (boiling water), be sure the water covers the cans.  Remove carefully and let cool on your counter.