I've always been really sensitive to jam, jelly, preserves, whatever you'd like to call it. (Marmalade is a term used by fancy folk!) Point is, fruit already has a lot of natural sweetness. Combine that with the sugar that is added to these items, and you get a delicious punch in the mouth that personally will leave me sleepy and shaky 30 minutes later.
I've been wanting to take this into my own hands for a couple of years, and I finally got to it. Instead of sugar, this recipe calls for the use of Stevia - which is my sweetener of choice. Really, you can use any sugar substitute you desire, though taste may vary.
If you are not a fan of stevia or any other sweetener substitutions, you can always opt for the real thing. It is a 1:1 ratio to substitute stevia and real sugar, so go for it!
Patience, my friend.
Be prepared to stand at your stove for the entire time that this batch is cooking. You'll be stirring continuously to make sure that the preserves don't burn. I hope you have something fun to listen to!
Hey, wait a minute... Isn't this actually a jam... or Jelly?
First of all, if this question comes to your head, I'd politely but firmly ask you to "Shh."
Just enjoy the flavor. I promise. All that matters is that it tastes good.
Second of all, I looked into this a bit while I was doing research for my cooking endeavor. From what I saw, the key difference between Jam and Preserves is the preparation of the fruit you are using. If you are starting your recipe with sliced or crushed fruit, you are creating a jam. If you are throwing whole fruit into your pan, you're preparing preserves.
As for jelly? Mmm... you'll need to stick to only using fruit juice for that one.
Prep Time: 0 Minutes | Cook Time: 25 Minutes [+2 hours to cool]| Total Time: 25 Minutes [+2 hours to cool]
Special Equipment
(1) 16oz Mason Jar
1 Medium Nonstick Saucepan
1 Large Mixing Bowl
1 Canning Funnel (optional, but you'll need to be careful if you don't have one).
Ingredients (US Standard)
1lb Frozen Whole Strawberries (or use fresh strawberries that have been rinsed and de-leafed)
1 1/2 cups Granulated Stevia (or Granulated Sugar / sweetener of choice)
Juice of 1 Lemon (2tbsp)
1/2tsp Lemon Zest (optional)
Ingredients (Metric)
455g Frozen Whole Strawberries (or use fresh strawberries that have been rinsed and de-leafed)
168g Granulated Stevia (or Granulated Sugar / sweetener of choice)
Juice of 1 Lemon (30mL)
1g Lemon Zest (optional)
Method
If you are using frozen strawberries, use a food scale to measure out 1lb (455g) in a large mixing bowl. Allow them to thaw overnight in your refrigerator.
Squeeze the lemon juice into a small cup, and set aside at a convenient distance from the stove.
Add the Strawberries and Stevia (or preferred sweetener) to a nonstick saucepan. Stir well to combine the ingredients.
Place on the stove set to Medium heat. Stir continuously for about 10 minutes, until the sweetener has melted and the mixture has started to boil.
Add the Lemon Juice and optional Lemon Zest to the mixture.
Continue stirring for another 15 minutes, keeping the strawberry preserves at a boil. The mixture may start to rise quickly as it boils, so you may need to set the stove to Medium-Low and back to Medium in intervals to prevent from overflowing. Use your best judgement and just be sure to keep the mixture boiling no matter what the temperature is set to.
The fruit will break apart as it cooks. After 15 minutes, remove the saucepan from heat and grab your Mason Jar. Allow the preserves to cool for just a couple of minutes until it starts to thicken. You'll want to transfer the preserves to the mason jar before they become too thick so it is easy, but I like to let it cool for a little bit instead of transferring it immediately. Using a canning funnel will make the transfer even easier - if you do not have one, just be extra careful as this mixture will burn you!
Allow the preserves to fully cool in the Mason Jar before enjoying. Use within 2 weeks.
Nutritional Data (With Stevia)
Yield: 15 servings
Serving Size: 1tbsp (30g)
Calories: 11 | Protein: 0 | Carbs: 3 | Fiber: 1 | Fats: 0
Nutritional Data (With Sugar)
Yield: 15 servings
Serving Size: 1tbsp (30g)
Calories: 61 | Protein: 0 | Carbs: 16 | Fiber: 1 | Fats: 0
This recipe is based on "Small Batch Strawberry Jam" by KyleeCooks. I updated the recipe to account for no sugar, recalculated the nutritional data, and rewrote the instructions for added clarity.
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