Nothing Says Summer like Strawberries!

One of my favorite things about coming home for the summer is fresh produce.

There’s nothing that compares to the taste of a vine ripened, fresh picked strawberry!

In my house, the first few weeks of summer are full of strawberry dishes: ice cream with strawberries, strawberry syrup, strawberry shortcake and strawberry jam.

If you’re on a low sugar diet like me, however, most of these dishes are strictly forbidden.

Luckily, my mom is a canning whiz!

I grew up in a family that never bought jam from a grocery store and ate  vegetables from our garden year round because Momma had canned them.

For years, my mom has been working on sugar free jam and jelly recipes so that I can once again enjoy homemade jam on warm biscuits like anyone else.

This year, we put our heads together and finally mastered our sugar free strawberry jam recipe!

Its a jam made with Splenda that still has that natural strawberry flavor with all the sweetness homemade jams are known for.

Sugar Free Strawberry Jam

6 cups of fresh, prepared strawberries

3/4 cups water

1 box Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes

3 cups Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated

1. Prepare strawberries. We chop ours up and then mash them with a potato masher.

Its all about preference, some people like chunky jam and some like it smoother. Keep in mind that the more chunks you leave the more the jam will separate in the jar.

2. Place prepared strawberries in 8 quart sauce pot. Add water and mix in Sure Jell. Optional: Add margarine to minimize foam. (I don’t know why or how it works but I promise it does!)

3. Bring mixture to a full boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for exactly 1 minute.

4. Remove from heat. Mix in Splenda. It will probably foam and fizzle a little, this is normal. Keep mixing until most of foam settles. Skim off any remaining foam.

5. Ladle jam into prepared jars. Proceed with canning process following the same method you would with any other jam.

Don’t be surprised if your jam is a little runny.

This is because sugar jells better than a sugar substitute. To combat this you can add extra Sure Jell, however, I find this gives the jam a grainy texture (like you find in many store bought sugar free jams).

If you’re like me, you’re willing to sacrifice firmness for taste!

I hope this recipe helps the sugar sensitive folks in your life to better enjoy summer strawberries year round!

Do you have some great sugar free strawberry recipes? I’d love to hear them!

Feel free to post a comment with any recipes or helpful links for low sugar strawberry lovers.