Ingredients:

5 cups crushed strawberries (about 2 3/4 pounds whole strawberries)
1/3 cup finely chopped habaneros (deseeded and deveined, about 4 small habaneros)
1/2 teaspoon butter (added to reduce foaming)
1 3/4 ounce box sure jell premium fruit pectin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
7 cups granulated sugar
4x 1 pint canning jars with lids and bands

Directions:

1. Sterilized the jars by placing them in a food water canner on the stove. Add enough water to cover the jars. Bring water to a boil and allow it to boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill. Place the lids and bands in a small pan and cover with water and turn heat on to a simmer.

2. Wash strawberries, remove hulls and slice into pieces. In a large bowl crush the sliced berries using a potato masher one cup at a time. This results in the best uniform results, don’t use a blender, food processor or hand blender for this step. Measure 5 cups of crushed berries and transfer them to a large non-aluminum stove top pot.

3. Using disposable culinary gloves, deseed and devein habaneros and then finely chop. Measure, ensuring that you have 1/3 cup. Using a food processor or blender, pulse the chopped habaneros so that they are like a fine minced texture (this process will ensure that the habanero spicy heat will be evenly distributed within the jam). Use caution after mincing habaneros and removing lid from the food processor or blender. The smell from the spicy heat can be overwhelming.

4. Have the habaneros, butter, lemon juice, and sugar all measured out in separate bowls or containers and ready to go. Have the pectin open and ready to use.

5. Transfer the pot of crushed strawberries to the stove top. Set the heat to medium and slowly stir as you add the pectin a little at a time. Add butter to reduce foaming. Continue to stir constantly, bring mixture to a boil and stir as you add the habaneros, lemon juice and sugar. Adjust heat to bring mixture back to a boil. Boil exactly 1 minute, while slowly stirring constantly. Remove pot from heat.

6. Using a canning jar lifter or tongs, remove and drain water from one jar to a dishcloth on the counter. Remove one lid and band to a separate dishcloth and wipe both dry. Using a wide mouth canning funnel on the jar, ladle jam into the jar, remove funnel and wipe dry the rim and threads of the jar. Carefully place the flat lid on top and screw on the band. Place the secured jar on a separate dishcloth upside down (lid side down). This is an old-fashioned trick that helps to ensure the lid properly seals from the heat of the jar, like a vacuum seal.

7. Repeat step 6 with the other 3 jars. Let jars cool upside down for 30 minutes and then turn them right side up (lids facing up). You will hear a loud pop or clinking sound coming from the each of the jars. Sometime immediately or within the next 30 minutes, don’t be alarmed, it’s the jar telling you as it cools that the lid has properly vacuum sealed. After jars have cooled for a few hours, check seals by pressing the middle of the lid with your finger. If the lid springs back, the lid has not vacuum sealed and refrigeration is required. Let sealed jars of jam stand at room temperature a day or two so the pectin sets up. Then store in a cool dry, dark place for up to one year. Refrigerate opened jars of jam.

Notes: This recipe should not be doubled, the pectin sets up better in small batches. Please follow proper canning procedures. Important to fill the jars while the strawberry jam mixture is hot. You can do this by yourself if you work quickly, but we recommend a two person team. One person fills the jars with jam and the other person does the lids and bands.

Helpful hints:

1. You can use a dishcloth, but it works best if you wear oven mitts or oven gloves when securing the lids and bands on the hot jars.

2. Save your extra leftover blank adhesive computer printer address labels. They work really well as labels for your jam jars.

3. Trying to put on disposable culinary gloves can be frustrating and a long process. Use one teaspoon of all-purpose flour. With your hands over the garbage can, wipe your hands both front and back including fingers with the flour (like your washing your hands). The flour wicks the moisture from your hands and the culinary gloves will slip on no problems asked.