Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Freshly ground pepper gives this wonderful sweet jam savoury undertones. It adds pizzazz to breads and is great with cheese, especially brie. Or, brush onto chicken or pork for summer barbecues.

3- 3/4 cups (925 ml) crushed strawberries (about 4 pt)
3 tbsp (45 ml) Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
6 -1/2 cups (1625 ml) granulated sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp (1 – 2 ml) freshly ground black pepper
1 pouch BERNARDIN Liquid Pectin

• Place 7 clean 250 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat SNAP LID® sealing discs in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.
• Wash, hull and crush strawberries one layer at a time. Measure prepared fruit into a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Stir in vinegar, lemon juice and zest, sugar and pepper. Add 1/2 tsp (2 ml) butter or margarine (to reduce foaming). Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add liquid pectin, squeezing entire contents from pouch. Return to boil; boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam if necessary.
• Quickly ladle hot jam into a hot jar to within 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more jam. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining jam.
• When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars – 10 minutes.*
• When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.
• After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

Makes about 7 x 250ml jars