Jam from wild strawberry with agar-agar is thick and fragrant, for preparation of which neither much time nor much sugar is needed. Housewives are often faced with a problem - for the preparation of thick jam, the consumption of granulated sugar increases greatly. However, there is a desire to save, and the fashion has gone - to reduce the sweet poison in the blanks. Agar-agar comes to the rescue in this situation - the amount of sugar can be reduced by half, relatively ordinary norms.
Agar - a natural thickener, it is made from seaweed, so the recipe is suitable for vegetarians.
- Cooking time: 45 minutes
- Quantity: 2 cans with a capacity of 450 g
Ingredients for making wild strawberry jam with agar-agar:
- 1 kg of wild strawberry;
- 600 g of granulated sugar;
- 10 g agar-agar;
- water.
Method of making wild strawberry jam with agar-agar
We measure off the sugar, pour it into the dish, in which the berries will boil. For these purposes, any container made of stainless steel or enamelled with a wide bottom and high sides - a basin, deep saucepan or frying pan. Add some water to the granulated sugar (40-50 ml), gradually heat until all the sugar dissolves.
Strawberries are carefully sorted out, we remove trees, needles, twigs and tear off sepals. Put the berries in a colander, wash with cold running water.
Crystal trees probably grow in a virgin forest, but I cannot get to such a forest, so I prefer to wash away natural dust from strawberries.
We shift the berries into boiling syrup, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the gas, cook for 15 minutes.
In the process of boiling, fluffy pink foam is collected on the surface. This foam is removed with a skimmer, put in a bowl.
Since childhood, I remember how my brother and I were sticking up near my grandmother, waiting for a bowl of foam. Then it seemed that nothing tastes better in the world.
While the berries are boiling, pour agar-agar into a saucepan, pour 50 ml of cold water, leave for 15 minutes to let the agar swell a little.
In a boiling mass add a thin stream of agar diluted in water, stir, bring the mass to a boil again, cook for another 5 minutes.
The cans for preservation are clean, my lids are scalded with boiling water. Dry the jars and lids in the oven at a temperature of 120-150 degrees Celsius. It is very convenient to use for the preparation of jam lids with clips, you do not have to worry whether the lid fits, and the finished product looks very attractive. We pack hot wild strawberry jam with agar-agar into warm and dry jars. Agar stabilizes at a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius, so at first the mass will seem liquid to you, but as it cools, it will thicken well. Fully cooled jam of wild strawberries close tightly, remove to a dark and cool place for storage.
By the way, instead of agar you can use regular food gelatin. Old-time prejudices that gelatin cannot be boiled are long gone. You can make jam with gelatin according to this recipe, with the only difference - gelatin is dissolved in hot water. Then, it is advisable to strain the dissolved gelatin through a sieve, before adding to the berries.
