Simple Strawberry Jam with Dutch Jell

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There is a short way to make jam, and there is a long way. The long way involves cooking fruit and sugar until the mixture begins to thicken on its own. The short way uses added pectin to speed up the process. 

In general, I like to do things the old-fashioned way, which is typically the longer way. However, there are times when I just need to make jam and don’t have all day to do it! This recipe is simple, fail proof, and takes less than an hour from start to finish! Oh, and the jam is also delicious.

Today was one of those days when my to-do list seemed endless and the children clamored constantly for my attention. It was definitely a day for quick jam-making.

I’ve had strawberries sitting in my refrigerator for nearly a week, begging me to turn them into jam. I kept postponing Canning Day because I was busy preparing goodies for a bridal shower. Now that the shower is over and my kitchen is starting to resume its normal appearance, I had time to focus on jam.

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What equipment do you need to make jam?

• Water bath canner or pressure canner tall enough to cover your jars with an inch of water. You can substitute a large pot if necessary, if you have a rack to hold the jars up off of the bottom of the pot.
• Canning jars, lids, and rings. I used 5 pint jars for this recipe.
• Large stockpot for cooking the jam
• Potato masher for crushing the berries
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Jar lifter
• Canning funnel
• Clean tea towel

The process of making jam using pectin really doesn’t take long once you gather all of your equipment. In fact, what takes the most time is waiting for the water in your water bath canner to boil. I suggest filling that first, before making the jam, so it will be hot by the time you need it.

Sterilizing Jars

There are several different ways to prepare canning jars. The basic concept is that jars and lids need to be sterilized before they are used to store food, or the contents may spoil. Also, the jars should be hot if you are going to fill them with hot jam. Filling cool jars with hot foods may cause the jars to crack.

One way to sterilize jars is to run them through your dishwasher. Another way is to boil them in a pot of water for a few minutes. 

I usually place my empty jars, along with unscrewed rings and lids, in the water bath canner while it is heating. If you don’t want to fish the rings and lids out of a tall pot of boiling water, try boiling them separately in a small pot.

Ingredients

Quick-cook jams can be very simple. For this recipe, you need only strawberries, sugar, and powdered pectin. I use Dutch Jell, but you can substitute a box of another powdered pectin if you wish.

Dutch Jell is a powdered pectin that is sold in bulk packages. I make sure to restock my supply when I visit my in-laws in Pennsylvania, but you can also find it online. The original recipe for strawberry jam from the Dutch Jell company suggests using a rounded 1/3 cup for each batch. This made my jam a bit too gelatinous for my taste, so I just use a level 1/3 cup.

The strawberries should be at their peak of ripeness. If they are underripe, the jam won’t have much flavor. Rinse the berries in cool water and cut off any bad spots with a paring knife.

As for sugar, I have used granulated white sugar and evaporated cane sugar with equally good results. 

Method

Fill your water bath canner with water to about the height of your canning jars. Once you place filled jars in the canner, the water should be deep enough to cover them by about an inch. Place the canner on your stovetop and heat it over the largest burner while you prepare the jam.

Rinse the strawberries under cool water. Hull them and cut off any bad parts with a paring knife. If the berries are large, cut them in quarters; halves are fine for smaller berries. Transfer the berries to a large stockpot. Crush them with a potato masher until they are soupy and no large chunks remain. Unless, of course, you happen to like large chunks in your jam!

Add the Dutch Jell to the strawberries in the pot and stir well. If you are using a different brand of pectin, read the directions to make sure you add the pectin at the right time.

Measure the sugar into a large bowl. It needs to be added all at once, so don’t wait until the jam is boiling to start measuring it!

Bring the berries and Dutch Jell to a boil, stirring frequently. Add the sugar all at once and continue stirring until the mixture begins to foam up. Skim off the light pink foam with a large spoon or a measuring cup. Don’t worry if you don’t get every bit of foam; just stir it back into the jam.

Once the jam comes to a full rolling boil, continue to cook the jam, stirring constantly, for one minute. Remove from the heat.

Prepare your workspace so that everything is within reach while you’re working with the hot jam. Carefully remove the hot jars, lids, and rings from the boiling water. 

Set one jar next to the pot of jam. Set the canning funnel in the mouth of the jar. Ladle jam into the jar, leaving ½” of headspace (this should be about level with the bottom of the canning funnel). 

Remove the canning funnel from the jar and set aside. Dip a corner of the clean towel into the pot of hot water. Use it to wipe all around the rim of the jam-filled jar. Sticky residue on the rim can interfere with the seal.

Place a lid on the jar, then screw a ring on. You may want to hold the hot jar with a towel or pot holder. Screw the ring until it is fingertip-tight. You don’t need to screw it on as hard as you can!

Set the jar into the water bath canner, using the jar lifter. Repeat the process with the remaining jars. If you have some jam remaining which doesn’t quite fill a jar, don’t try to can it. Just refrigerate the partially-full jar after it cools, and consume it first.

Once all the jars have been filled and placed in the water bath canner, check the water to see if it is still boiling. If not, cover with a lid and return to a boil. 

When the water boils, set a timer for ten minutes. The canner does not need to be covered during the boiling water bath. Leave the jars undisturbed in the canner for ten minutes, then remove them one by one with the jar lifter and set aside to cool. 

You will hear a popping sound when each jar seals. This can take a few seconds up to several minutes. 

After the jars have cooled, don’t forget to label them with the date and contents! Strawberry jam will keep in sealed jars at room temperature for over a year.

Print Recipe

2 from 1 vote

Simple Strawberry Jam with Dutch Jell

Looking for a quick and easy strawberry jam recipe? This recipe yields 5 pints of jam in under an hour!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Boiling Water Bath10 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Condiments

Keyword: Jam, Strawberries

Servings: 5 pints

Equipment

• Water bath canner or pressure canner
• pint jars, lids, and rings
• stockpot
• potato masher
• wooden spoon
• ladle
• jar lifter
• canning funnel
• clean tea towel

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. strawberries rinsed, hulled, and quartered
• 7 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup Dutch Jell powdered pectin

Instructions

• Fill a water bath canner or pressure canner with water to cover your jars. Set it over high heat and bring to a boil.
• Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water or in your dishwasher.
• Place strawberries in a large stockpot and crush to release juices. Stir in Dutch Jell. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• While the strawberries are cooking, measure the sugar into a large bowl. When the strawberries begin to boil, add the sugar all at once and stir well until combined.
• Return the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Skim foam off the surface with a large spoon or a measuring cup. Boil and stir the jam for one minute, then remove from the heat.
• Ladle jam into hot jars, using a canning funnel. Wipe around the rim of each jar before placing a lid on it. Fingertip-tighten the ring around the mouth of the jar.
• Use a jar lifter to place the jars into the water bath canner. Boil for 10 minutes, then remove jars to cool.
• When the jars have cooled, check the seals and label the jars with contents and date. Strawberry jam will keep in sealed jars at room temperature for over a year.

Notes

You may substitute other brands of powdered pectin for the Dutch Jell. 1/3 cup Dutch Jell is equal to one box of powdered pectin. Be sure to read the instructions on the box before proceeding with the recipe.