Comments on: Strawberry Lemon Marmalade

By: dorisandjilly

dorisandjilly — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:49:59 +0000

@Chef Jen: Sure! Fresh strawberries are fine. I only used frozen because I was making this in January. Remember that my berries were sugared in the freezer, so you may need to increase the sweetness to get a good gel.

By: Chef Jen

Chef Jen — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:03:06 +0000

I think Elizabeth partly addressed the question I have- would fresh strawberries substitute well enough for frozen? I’d rather use fresh while they’re available. This looks great and will make a perfect first-time-jam-making experience for me.

By: dorisandjilly

dorisandjilly — Tue, 18 May 2010 01:39:10 +0000

Elizabeth: It’s hard to say exactly what the problem was, but, for starters, never double (or triple!) a recipe for anything that needs to gel. It’s like trying to boil down a giant pot of stock–it takes forever. And 6 cups of sugar sounds like a very small amount of sugar for such a large quantity of strawberries. Also, when you use a low-sugar recipe, you have to use a low-sugar pectin. Chalk it up to a learning experience, but it still makes a great sauce!

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:36:43 +0000

Some friends and I (all completely inexperienced canners) tried to make this recipe yesterday and the darn thing would just not gel. We used: 9 lemons, 4.5lbs of fresh strawberries, 9 cups of water and 6 cups of sugar. Then we put in a three teaspoons of pectin, and it still would not come together. Basically, we tripled the recipe but didn’t triple the sugar because we had just made another jam that called for 14 cups of sugar and reduced it by half, and it gelled up just fine. I’m sorry that we tinkered with perfection, but can anyone explain to clueless-me why it wouldn’t have come together? Was it too much water, not enough sugar, too many strawberries? Thank you!

By: Lindsey S

Lindsey S — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:28:28 +0000

this sounds sooo good, and thanks to Laura for asking about fresh strawberries because that is what I’ll be using. This will be my second item I’m canning ever and first time trying/making marmalade too, I’ll see how this goes haha

Yum!

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:01:04 +0000

Awesome! Thanks so much- I can’t wait!

By: dorisandjilly

dorisandjilly — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:40:57 +0000

Laura: Lucky you! I’d increase the strawberries by about half (they shrink when frozen) and add about 3/4 c. more sugar (my frozen berries were sweetened). Enjoy.

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:48:14 +0000

I’m relatively new to canning, but loving it so far! This recipe sounds fabulous (and addictive). How would I adjust this if using all fresh strawberries? I’m hoping to make a whole bunch this Sunday with a friend since strawberries are plentiful and *cheap* in my area right now. Thanks!

By: Catalina

Catalina — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:33:38 +0000

Mmmm this sounds yummy!
Why didn’t I think about using the fruit in my freezer too?!? Great idea!

By: Melamalie

Melamalie — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:41:46 +0000

Wow! I made this Ball recipe (well, the Canadian Bernardin version, which is the same thing) this fall (also with frozen fruit from the summer), and I LOVE it, but I find it’s not lemony enough. When strawberry season rolls around again, I’ll be putting this variation on my “Must-Can” list!

Thanks for your info on sugar in jams. I LOVE making jam, but I find I don’t want to eat a lot because they’re way too sweet. I will read the USDA guidelines and consider cutting back on the sugar in the future.

Mel