Strawberry Jam is one of those must-make things in our home. It is our favorite by far and I make sure I have a couple dozen jars done up during strawberry season. Strawberry Balsamic Jam is one of the highlights of our jam collection every year!
Our strawberry patch is finally producing and I am over-the-moon excited! This was my third replanting and it was worth the wait! I love being able to just walk out to the garden and pick buckets and buckets of gorgeous, red, ripe berries. My children love it as well! I catch the boys (and the husband) in the patch all the time, sneaking a berry or two (or 20…). Of course the baby loves them too! She is my official quality control tester, eating them as she watches me pick.
When I went to make my jam this year, I noticed an alternative recipe in my Ball© Canning book. Strawberry Balsamic Jam. Not going to lie, I was a little put-off by this at first. Vinegar in jam? But then I remembered balsamic can be paired nicely with sweet and decided to go for it! Counting on my beautiful strawberry patch to produce many more berries just in case this didn’t work.
Oh boy am I glad I took the chance. This will definitely be my go-to strawberry jam recipe. I won’t even bother posting the original recipe (its easy anyway, just use 4 tbsp. lemon juice instead- no vinegar) because I highly recommend using this one!
Most noteworthy, the addition of the balsamic vinegar enhances the strawberry flavor without carrying over any of the vinegar flavor. You end up with a beautiful, robust jam that will knock your socks off!
Furthermore, I reduced the sugar quite a bit (original recipe calls for 7 cups) and I didn’t miss it at all. Reducing the sugar does produce a softer jam, you can increase the sugar content if you would like it to set more firmly. We prefer our jam to not be extremely sweet (plus this makes it slightly better for you)!
Mike tried it when he got home and he agrees- this is absolutely amazing jam. As a result of learning this new little trick, I decided to replace some of the lemon juice with balsamic vinegar in my Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. Yum!
Strawberry Balsamic Jam
Equipment
- Water Bath Canner
- Canning Jars
- Canning Lids
Ingredients
- 8 cups whole strawberries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tsp good balsamic vinegar
- 1 package regular powdered fruit pectin 1.75 oz
- 4.5 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Prepare and clean seven 8-oz mason jars. Keep warm. Gather seven two-piece closures. Set bands aside, keep lids warm, either in water in a saucepan on the stove (on low) or in a bowl with warm water.
- Fill canner with water, cover and bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
- Measure sugar into a bowl and set aside (it is important to add sugar all at once to eliminate cooking delays and possible burning of the jam).
- Wash and hull strawberries. Using a food processor or blender, quickly pulse the berries until crushed but not liquefied (you still want little chunks of berry). If you don't have either of these, you can use a potato masher to mash them up.
- Measure 5 cups of crushed strawberries into saucepan.Add lemon juice and balsamic vinegar to crushed strawberries in saucepan. Whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently.
- Add sugar all at once and stir constantly, return to a full boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam if necessary.
- Fill warm jars to 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims with a clean damp cloth or paper toweling. Place lid and band on jars, adjusting to finger-tip tight.
- Place jars in canner and bring to full rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, set your timer for 10 minutes. After processing, turn off heat and remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes then remove jars and place on towel to cool, for 24 hours.Check for seal, remove bands, wipe off jars if necessary, label and store in a cool, dry, dark place.
Amazing! Super tasty! I made 2 batches today!
Wonderful!!
As soon as I saw the title with balsamic I was excited. I love a balsamic vinegar and this looks so delicious! I don’t know if I will try making my own anytime soon but if I see anything like this I will try it.
http://fromunderapalmtree.com/
Its amazing how balsamic vinegar really brings out the strawberry flavor! I will admit, I don’t use it much but I am trying to incorporate it more into my recipes. Thank you for your comment 🙂
Sounds so good! Never would have thought to add balsamic vinegar:) thanks for sharing!
It really is!! I know, I was a bit hesitant the first time I tried it but man it is so amazing! Never going back 😀
This looks so good! I love strawberry jam, and this sounds even more amazing!
Thank you!! I honestly thought I couldn’t love strawberry jam any more until I tried this recipe! Its that good!! 😀 Thank you for the comment!
What a great recipe! I’ve never made jam but I may just have to give this a shot!
Thank you!! It really is quite easy. Id love to hear how you like it if you do try it 😀 Good luck!!
Such a unique recipe. I will save this recipe and use it when I get a chance to hoard strawberries at the Farmer’s Market. I can’t wait to taste this strawberry balsamic jam.
This sounds declicious! Thanks for sharing!
So I have a current obsession with balsamic vinegar (well actually balsamic vinegar glaze) so this sounds absolutely amazing!
It really is!!! Hope you get a chance to try it!
We just went berry picking last week and I’ve never made my own jam but I have everything needed so… here goes nothing 🙂
Cant wait to hear how you liked it!