Strawberries are one of the prettiest berries in nature, they can be sweet, tart, and sour at the same time. The sweetest strawberries are used to make those jiggly strawberry jellies which are a delight for both adults and teens. What’s truly lovely about strawberries is that they’re available all year round but they are labeled as the sweet flavor of summer.
Summers just would be incomplete without these sticky, sweet jellies. Children would love to eat it on their own while others would like to make some strawberry jelly and peanut butter pancakes or even put it between English muffins, cake, cupcakes, and your American muffins. No matter how you eat it, strawberry jellies are such a delight to eat.
Strawberry Jelly Trivia
- Strawberries became the State Fruit of Louisiana in 1980. Meanwhile, it became the State Fruit of Oklahoma in 2005. Delaware, North Carolina, and Louisiana also recognize strawberries as their state fruits.
- Strawberries love a lot of sunshine. The largest strawberry-producing states in the US are California and Florida.
- Long before the Colonists have arrived, American Indians were already eating strawberries. Crushed strawberries were added into cornmeal. This historical culinary treasure gave birth to the strawberry shortcake.
Strawberry Jelly Buying Guide
Strawberry jellies are available in all supermarkets and groceries. They are usually commercially produced by major food companies who claim to have used all-natural methods for their canning process.
Whether you’re buying artisan or commercial strawberry jellies, any type of jams, jellies, and preserves should be judged based on 4 criteria: clearness, consistency, color, packing.
Remember that jellies are made with fruit juice and sugar. Therefore, they should be very clear and translucent. Watch out for any foreign objects floating in jellies as they could be contaminants or even mold.
Judging for consistency should be the fun part as jellies are always jiggly and squirmy, in an adorable and appetizing way.
Color is another way of assessing how natural or commercialized the jellies are. The color of the jelly should mimic the natural colors of the juice. Otherwise, the jelly would be full of artificial food coloring and other harmful additives.
Well-packaged jellies should not be leaking anywhere else. If it does, you should return it to the stores or report it to the managers and artisan makers. It’s not fit for people to consume contaminated jellies are bacteria easily breeds in moist environments.
Strawberry Jelly Production & Farming in Texas
In confectionery, jellies are traditionally classified as candies and gummies. Thus, you just have to visit your local candy stories to buy the sweet and jiggly jellies. These stores have been specializing in jelly making, operating for several decades, and are now ran by the latest generations. So, they have already mastered strawberry jelly making from the trade secrets to the most important techniques.
Strawberry jelly makers in Texas or any jelly producers in general involve a lot of baking science that can either make or break the mixture! It’s beautifully delicate yet fastidious work. So, we take pride in the work that our artisan jelly makers do. That’s why we advocate for people to but at farmers’ markets and local producers to pay homage to the strawberry jelly makers.
Preservatives and Chemicals
Commercially produced strawberry jellies have a lot of preservatives, chemicals, and additives that are intended to extend their shelf-life, and enhance their flavors and appearance. Here are some of the artificial flavors and chemicals that will harm your body during long time consumption.
Sodium benzoate is one of the most common preservatives in jellies, jams, and preserves, or any acidified solids and liquids. Both sodium benzoate and yeast work together to inhibit mold and bacterial growth. However, there are harms in consuming sodium benzoate as it leads to inflammation, obesity, and is considered to be highly carcinogenic
Potassium Sorbate functions as a stabilizer and preservative. It is one of the easiest preservatives to use in mass production. Some studies say that potassium sorbate causes cancer and is harmful to the development of DNA. In this case, children must not be exposed to processed foods at a young age to deter the potential damages.
Packaging
Commercially packaged jellies are packed in sealed containers, usually using paraffin to preserve the jellies for a long time. While jam and preserve containers require sterilization, jelly containers need not be sterilized as the scalding hotness of the jellies is adequate to sterilize the entire containers.
Home-made jellies are a different story because home-based production is different from commercial processes. It has always been recommended to sterilize the jars before filling those with the strawberry jellies to prevent bacteria from breeding. Place the jars in your canning rack and boil for 10 minutes. Take the canned jars away from the boiler to cool, remove the lid and cool the jar for 5 minutes. Seal the jars afterward and refrigerate those immediately.
Enjoying Strawberry Jellies
Who doesn’t want to enjoy the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? People love that childhood treat for it reminds them of picnics and out-of-town trips, things that were simply taken for granted before. Adulthood doesn’t mean people can no longer enjoy jelly treats, as there are many new recipes to try to satiate more mature palates.
Strawberry jelly can be added to grilled cheese sandwiches along with salty ham and cheeses. It can also be added to caramelized bacon for sweet and salty flavors.
Add the strawberry jelly into parfaits, ice-creams, yogurts, creams, and even milk for added flavors. Just use a teaspoon or two, not too much or it may overpower the natural flavors of the dairy products.
Storage
Store-bought jellies can last up to a year depending on how well they are stored. Home-made jellies can also be used up to a year but it’s better to consume them when they are at their prime stages, having the best colors, flavors, and consistencies.
After opening the jellies, store them in the refrigerator below 40°C or lower. Frequently opening the jellies can promote contamination and reduce the shelf-life of the products. When using jellies, spoon adequate amounts into a small plate, and immediately return the jellies into the fridge. Avoid letting them sit at room temperature or in hot areas to prevent fermenting them.
Don’t forget to check for some molds especially at the lids to detect spoilage. Yeasty and other sour odors would be an alarm for you to toss your jellies into the garbage.
Cooking
HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY JELLY
Use the sweetest strawberries to make the best Strawberry Jelly!
Ingredients
5 cups strawberries
5 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
5 tablespoons pectin (optional)
Procedure
- On a separate pan, heat the center lids to a simmer as well
- Mash the strawberries using a food masher (steel recommended) and add them to a large pot
- Pour lemon juice, sugar and pectin to the pot and start whisking till they dissolve in the mixture
- Boil the mixture for around 1 minute while stirring.
- Turn off the heat and skim off the appearing foam with a spoon
- Start filling the mason jars with jam one at a time with a wide-mouth funnel. Clean the residue from the jar’s exterior.
- Place the center lids on the jars
Tip:Make sure to leave a little space at the top of the jar
- Fill the canning pot with water, and boil for 10 minutes
- Turn off the heat, and let the jars cool off for a few minutes
- Using a jar lifter, remove the jars from the hot water and keep them out for 24 hours
- After 24 hours, check the lids for seal. If sealed properly, store the jars in a pantry or kitchen cabinet & Enjoy!
