Edna Lewis’s Garden Strawberry Preserves
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 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
Comments
Be aware that the USDA no longer recommends using paraffin for preserving. This jam should be stored in the fridge.
I purée the berries and mix with the sugar and leave on the counter overnight. Same proportions. Jelling is almost immediate.
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!
the use of paraffin on any food should absolutely be avoided. filling the hot jar to within 1/8” of the rim, quickly putting the lid on and achieving a vacuum seal is sufficient. the use of lemon juice as a natural boost to the acidity of the preserve is recommended, and it offers a balance to the sweetness of the strawberries (this is a high sugar recipe) as well as being a natural pectin.
Perhaps you could give her recipe for the actual jam without including the outdated preserving instructions. Paraffin is no longer recognized as safe.
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.