This Honey Strawberry Jam recipe is a fantastic way to use and store the summer strawberry harvest. Jam is a perfect way to use up leftover fruit and make it last throughout the year! Open up a jar of summer sunshine in the dead of winter. This is exactly the reason why jam was invented.
What is the history of jam?
Once upon a time, long ago, before electricity and niceties like refrigerators, the only way you could enjoy fruit during the winter months was by preserving fruits when they became ripe during the warm months of the year. And interesting to note is that honey was the preservative system of choice by the Greeks, who used honey to preserve quince, a fruit that appears to be a cross between a pear and an apple.
This strawberry jam recipe is perfect for on toast and muffins and would even be great to sandwich between the layers of a homemade cake or strawberry scones. Using our Eastern Shore Honey makes this jam even sweeter and eliminates the need for refined sugars that are unhealthy for you and the environment.
I was delighted to see a naturally paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free jam recipe that is also low in sugar. This recipe preserves all of the flavors of strawberries without the need for lots of added sugars or artificial ingredients.
Organic, home-grown berries would be the best for this recipe, as it is very difficult to remove pesticides from strawberries. Check out our blog post to read up on growing strawberries. If you can't grow your own at home, find them locally from a farmer's market or a neighbor. Other berries would make a great addition to this jam. Blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries would all be excellent to mix in!
How to make strawberry jam with honey
It’s easy to make this Strawberry Jam Recipe. Let's take a look at the list of ingredients you’ll need:
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh raspberries
- Bee Inspired Honey
- fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- orange zest
These ingredients come together quickly and easily! You’ll also need to have glass mason jars on-hand and follow the manufacturer's directions on the best ways to prepare the glass for the strawberry jam.
Step 1: Prepare the berries
Put berries in a heavy-bottom saucepan and smash. Add lemon juice, honey, and orange zest heat over medium-high heat. Bring to a low boil and cook berries until thick. Allow cooking for up to 45 minutes, frequently stirring to avoid scorching. Remove any foam.
Step 2: Test the jam
To test, put some of the jam on a clean spoon and then put the spoon on a plate in the freezer. Let it sit there for five minutes, and then take it out. If the jam doesn’t fall easily off the spoon when you turn it to the side, it’s ready, and you can take the pot off the heat. If it does pour off easily, continue cooking for another 5 minutes and try the test again.
Step 3: Bottle the jam
Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam will be eaten immediately, don’t bother with processing, and refrigerate.
Adapting our Honey Strawberry Jam Recipe
A recipe is not perfect until you’ve added your touch. That’s why we encourage you to play with your food. Let your inner chef come out and play and change up this recipe. Here are some ideas:
- Use different combinations of berries
- Use cherries or peaches for a lower glycemic index
- Swap out orange zest for lemon or lime zest
- Try orange juice instead of lemon juice
- Use blackberry or orange blossom, and honey, to add a depth of flavor.
Need ideas on unique ways to use this jam?
I know that I am guilty of opening a jar of jam for biscuits, and three years later, I throw it out when I realize something similar to a science project is growing inside the jar. You can get creative with this jam to use it up before it turns on you. Try some of these ideas.
- Make your fruit-flavored yogurt
- Add it to your hot oatmeal.
- Check out this steak with mushroom sauce. Add a tablespoon or two of this jam to thicken and sweeten the sauce.
- Use it in between layers of these blackberry pancakes
- I'll bet it would be delicious in this honey berry popsicle recipe
- Pair it with a cheese plate.
- Drop dollops of this jam (and swirl!) into this southern cornbread recipe or this brownie recipe
