"Ross Reid" wrote in message
...
(Tim Kelly) wrote:

Help!

snip

Should I dump the jam into a pot, reduce the mixture further, then
re-can the jam?

Should I add pectin prior to processing? Since this would be a 'hack'
of the recipe, how much

should I use?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Tim

Greetings, Tim.

Since strawberries are very low in pectin I don't think you'll have
much luck making no-pectin strawberry jam/jelly.
However, give us a little more info on the recipe and the procedure
used and I'm sure someone will be able to help you.
If all else fails, do what the rest of us do, tell the family that
what you really intended was to make ice cream topping.

Ross

Ross, I respectfully disagree about the pectin requirement. I have been
making old-fashioned strawberry jam for years without using any pectin. My
process is: equal parts strawberry pulp and sugar; bring to a rolling boil
over high heat while stirring to keep from scorching; use a candy
thermometer to bring the fluid to 215 degrees (adjusted for my high desert
altitude of 2,500 feet MSL -- at sea level it would be 220 degrees); pour
into hot sterilized jars, screw lids down as tight as possible; set on
counter out of drafts; do not disturb until lids pop.

Note that this process not only excludes pectin, it also does not use
pressure canning or BWB. Just make sure the jars are sterilized. The
important part of the process is to bring the temperature up high enough.
Without a thermometer, a hard rolling boil for 12 to 15 minutes will
accomplish pretty much the same, but the consistency will vary from batch.

In this case, I think Tim can reprocess the batch. I would suggest
correcting the balance of pulp to sugar if necessary.

Regards,

Casey Wilson
Freelance Writer and Photographer