Strawberry Vanilla Preserves

This year, my husband and I are members of a local fruit CSA for the first time.  It only started a few weeks ago, but we are really loving it. I am especially loving the fact that there is plenty of fruit left over each week for me to do some small batch canning!

Knowing that we have a baby arriving early in the fall, I am doing my best to stock up my pantry and freezer ahead of time.  I love having homemade jams and other preserves on hand for gift giving (and eating!) throughout the year, so I thought it would be smart to do it bit by bit each week throughout the summer (while I still have the energy).

So, last week, when we had some strawberries left over from our first CSA box, I decided to page through the small batch preserving book in my kitchen.  I came across an interesting recipe for strawberry jam that involved a three day process.  Since I was tired from a weekend of baking, I decided to give the recipe a try.  Dividing up the work over a few days sounded like a fantastic idea to me.

The idea behind the recipe was that the extra resting time in the recipe took the place of having to cook the jam (which is made without pectin) for a long period of time on the stove.  I was skeptical, but willing to give it a try.  The process was easy… The first day I chopped strawberries and combined them with sugar.  The next day I cooked them for a few minutes and then let them sit for another 24 hours.  Then, I reheated the jam and canned it on the third day.

I added my own slight twist on the recipe by scraping some vanilla beans into the jam on the second day and letting them marinate with the jam overnight. When all was said and done, I really loved the flavor of the jam. It turned out to be a bit runnier than I had anticipated, though.  That could certainly be remedied by cooking the jam a bit longer over the stove, but I’m not sure it really needs it.

Even though the jam didn’t set perfectly, I still wanted to share the recipe with you.  The slightly runny jam (or, as I prefer to call it, preserves…) is actually quite wonderful just the way it is.  It may not make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich for your kid’s lunch box, but it’s wonderful slathered on fresh biscuits in the morning.  And, I think it would be fabulous as a thick dessert sauce for pound cake or as a topping for your morning waffles or pancakes.

Strawberry Vanilla Preserves
Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups (5 – 4 oz. jars)
(Slightly adapted from The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving)

• 4 cups quartered strawberries
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 vanilla beans

On the first evening, combine the strawberries and sugar in a large bowl.  Stir to combine, then cover and let stand for 8 hours or overnight.  Stir occasionally.

By the second day, the strawberry juice and sugar will have formed more of a syrup.  Pour the contents of the bowl into a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Add the lemon juice and return the mixture to a boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil rapidly and stir constantly for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Use a knife to cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add beans to the cooked strawberry mixture and stir to combine. Cover and let rest for 24 hours.

The next day, prepare your boiling water canner and have your jars, lids, and bands ready.  Return the strawberry preserves to a full boil over high heat, and boil rapidly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat.  Ladle the jam into the hot jars.  Wipe the rims and fit each jar with a lid and a band.  Process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

First time canning? Be sure to check out these guidelines for boiling water canning!  I have done my best to ensure that this recipe is safe for canning, and  I used a reputable source.  However, it is always important to double check the guidelines to make sure a recipe is safe for canning.

Please Note – The links to The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving provided in this post are Amazon affiliate links.