Strawberry Jam

DekuStick · October 2009

I can't stand the chunky strawberry jam. I like the idea, nice fruity chunks in your fruit spread, but it just doesn't do it for me.

So I ask. What brands don't have fruit chunks in their strawberry jam? I can't seem to find any.

If you can't give me a brand who doesn't chunk it up, teach me how to make my own strawberry jam.

This is what I don't appreciate in a jam-

Fats · October 2009

You should look for jelly instead of jam, they suck all the interesting bits out of it.

RUNN1NGMAN · October 2009

Actually, at least for Smuckers, what you're showing is what they call "strawberry preserves." You want "strawberry jam" which should be smooth (and comes with or without seeds).

GoodOmens · October 2009

I'm a big fan of the Polaner All Fruit strawberry. A little less sweet than regular jam, so it tastes more like, well, actual strawberries.

It's also a bit more expensive.

DekuStick · October 2009

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

Actually, at least for Smuckers, what you're showing is what they call "strawberry preserves." You want "strawberry jam" which should be smooth (and comes with or without seeds).

Ahh the inside scoop! I never knew the underworld of fruit spreads was so in depth.

Chanus · October 2009

With strawberry, many jams are still going to have the seeds in it to some extent (just a warning... though I don't understand how people can eat jam/jelly/preserves without the bits of fruit in them).

iglidante · October 2009

I always thought it went like this:

Jelly - translucent, no chunks, no seeds, nothing other than smoothness.
Jam - seeds and pulverized fruit, but no huge pieces.
Preserves - get ready for whole strawberries mixed in.

Chanus · October 2009

That sounds about right.

iglidante · October 2009

I usually go for preserves, but I hate when I get one of those hard, dessicated strawberries with the crunchy tip. That's not delicious fruit.

DekuStick · October 2009

iglidante wrote: »

I usually go for preserves, but I hate when I get one of those hard, dessicated strawberries with the crunchy tip. That's not delicious fruit.

Exactly my issues with it. Some of them are just mush, some are hard and so on. I am very particular about my berries.

RUNN1NGMAN · October 2009

iglidante wrote: »

I always thought it went like this:

Jelly - translucent, no chunks, no seeds, nothing other than smoothness.
Jam - seeds and pulverized fruit, but no huge pieces.
Preserves - get ready for whole strawberries mixed in.

Yeah, for Smuckers that's the standard nomenclature.

More specifically, I'm pretty sure that jelly is just fruit juice, sugar, and pectin; jam and preserves have the actual fruit rather than just juice.

iglidante · October 2009

I always find jelly difficult to spread. It's like laying down Jello with a knife. It doesn't get very far. I like to put butter and jam on the same toast, for added excellence, and neither of the two extremes (jelly and preserves) spread out enough to make it work. If preserves had 100% soft chunks, they'd be hands-down every time.

Chanus · October 2009

Make your own. It's incredibly easy, actually.

iglidante · October 2009

Yeah, it seems like you basically cook berries, sugar, and a little water, add pectin, and let it firm. Am I right?

Chanus · October 2009

Basically. My mother has been doing it since I was a little kid and while I love her, she's not exactly Julia Child... still, hers is better than anything I've found in the store.

It actually ends up pretty inexpensive as well. She goes to the local berry farm once a year and can make enough jam to last for the entire year (including giving it away to pretty much everyone she knows) for a lot less than it would cost to buy that much in the store.

Also helps to know a bit about canning... which is fairly simple with those store-bought mason jars and lids.

pogo mudder · October 2009

Hartley's seedless jam, it's all i fucking eat

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/Images/ExternalImages/ProductsDetailed/50/018450.jpg

DekuStick · October 2009

I just got home with this

Haven't made a sammich yet but I have high hopes!

LewieP's Mummy · October 2009

Its really easy to make, all you need are lots of strawberries, sugar, water, a pan, a little bit of pectin to help the jam set, a muslin cloth or tea towel to sieve the jam through to remove all the bits you don't like, and some clean jam jars and lids.

Put lots of strawberries into a large, heavy weight pan (a pressure cooker is good if you don't have a jam making pan!
Add some sugar, a bit of water, and boil for a while.
Test for setting by putting a tea spoon of jam on a very cold saucer, if it forms a skin,its ready, if not, boil a bit longer, or add a little pectin to speed up the setting process.
Meanwhile, wash the jam jars and lids thoroughly, put in a hot oven to sterilise.
When the jam is ready, ie. is setting on the saucer, strain it through the tea towel/muslin cloth to remove the bits you don't like, then spoon it into the sterile jam jars, put the lids on and leave to cool.
Enjoy!.

But I do think you're weird, the chunks of fruit are the best bits!!!!

iglidante · October 2009

Now I think I need to try that sometime. It's a shame all the good jam fruits aren't in season any longer.

shutz · October 2009

There's this stuff, I don't know what it's called, it's a kind of powder... you mix it with your cut-up berries, and put it in the freezer for a while (I think the powder includes sugar...)

Anyway, my mom makes that using strawberries, and it's been the best strawberry jam I've ever had, because it's very sweet, but still tastes more like eating strawberries than store-bought jam. I don't ever remember getting a hard or crunchy piece of fruit that way, only mushy strawberries (with the seeds). The stuff around the strawberries ends up being runnier than most jams, but it's still thicker than just preserve syrup. Spreads well enough.

So, there's no cooking, which I believe is the main reason for the fruit retaining more of its flavor.

Might not be precisely what the OP was asking for, but it sure would be worth trying.

Anybody here know what I'm talking about and could link to the stuff? I couldn't find it with a quick Google search...