Strawberry Orange Jam
It’s the start of strawberry season here in Florida, so what better way to celebrate than with the marriage of two of Florida’s most popular fruits?
Did you know that Plant City, Fl is the winter strawberry capital of the world? Our mild winters are just perfect for growing strawberries! And our backyard orange trees are just loaded with oranges. I love strawberry jam, and this recipe kicks it up a bit with some fresh orange zest, and my secret ingredient… orange blossom water. Orange blossom water is exactly what it sounds like, water that has been distilled with orange flower blossoms. It’s available at most Middle Eastern grocery stores or online. You don’t absolutely need it for this recipe, but it does make a difference.
For 8 jelly jars you will need:
5 1/3 Cup of Prepared Strawberries
1 1/3 Cup Water
1 Orange
6 Tablespoons Low Sugar Pectin
2 Cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Orange Blossom Water
8 sterilized jelly jars with lids and bands
Wash and dry your strawberries. Trim the tops off and dice your berries. Put about 6 diced strawberries in a bowl and mash them up using a potato masher or a pastry knife, the kind used to cut butter into flour for pies. Put the mashed strawberries in a measuring cup. Continue dicing, mashing, and measuring till you have 5 1/3 cups. Put the strawberries along with the zest of one orange in a heavy bottom stock pot. Use a pot that has high sides as it’ll rise up quite a bit as it cooks. If you want a lot of orange flavor you can juice your orange and add enough water to make the required 1 1/3 cup, or simply use all water. Using a small sifter, sift the pectin over the pot into the strawberries, stirring as you sift. This will keep any lumps of pectin from forming in your jam. Continue stirring the strawberries till they boil for a full minute. During this time you can blend the strawberries a bit more using an immersion or stick blender. Just a few quick pulses will work great.
Once your strawberries have boiled for a full minute, add the sugar and orange blossom water. Continue stirring the jam, bringing it to a boil for another full minute. Don’t start your timer until you reach a boil that can’t be stirred down. Once your jam has boiled for a full minute remove the pan from the heat and begin filling your prepared jelly jars. Process your jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.
I’d like to now take the time to tell you about these new Denali canning lids I’ve recently started using. Now, I’ve always been a Ball girl. I’ve tried many different brands, especially during the great 2020 canning lid shortage. I kept having problems with them. Then I found the Denali lids. I’ve used them with my water bath canner and with my pressure canner and have been very happy with them! And they’re an American company that is very responsive to emails. A great plus for me because I’m skeptical about changes and ask a ton of questions! Their prices are comparable to Ball and they also have a rewards program! Which is great for me because I go through a lot of canning lids. You can use this link to check them out for yourself!
Have you tried Denali canning lids?
