Jam is the first type of preserve that people think of when they think of canning recipes for beginners, for good reason. Jam is nearly foolproof for beginners because the recipes are quite high in acid, making them very safe, and they frequently call for very few ingredients making them fast and simple to prepare. The worst thing that can happen in jam making is it turns out a little bit thin, which is essentially syrup. When syrup is your worst case scenario, I think you should feel confident diving in as a beginner with these 9 jam recipes!
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If you are a canning newbie and want to watch someone set up the canning process, I want to invite you to check out the Canning Foundations video course. It walks you through, step-by-step, every single part of the canning process. That course plus this blog post would result in you going from brand new beginner to jam-making machine! Check it out here!
9 Jam Canning Recipes for Beginners
Strawberry Champagne Jam Recipe
Strawberry Champagne Jam is THE jam to make to celebrate, to give as a gift, and to savor the flavor of spring. It is much easier than you think and there are a few simple pro tips for keeping that champagne flavor in the jar!
Raspberry jam is a delight to give as gifts, raspberries are easy to pick at U-pick farms, and deliciously gift-able preserved in these tiny mason jars.
This recipe calls for Roma tomatoes, which are typically denser and thus cook into a thicker sauce a bit faster. You can use whatever tomato you have on hand, however, and this is a great recipe to use a variety if that is what you have. There’s a free download of the jam recipe in the post too!
Strawberry Jam is THE preserve to try if you’ve never canned because strawberries are so high in acid that the worst thing that could happen is that you’ll have thin jam, which is essentially strawberry syrup.
Are you LOVING these strawberry recipes? I have a fun little recipe booklet of JUST strawberry recipes- check it out here!
It’s a perfect jam. You definitely can make this cranberry lemon jam and preserve it in a water bath process- you do not have to use a steam canner which is much faster. You can even use frozen cranberries in this recipe!
Blackberries are probably my favorite berry. I grew up picking wild blackberries on my family ranch with my mom, grandmother, and brother and sister (with dogs Dodger and Missy keeping an eye out for bears nearby- more than once they saw one!). Blackberries can be a little seedy but they are so, so good and this recipe has a sneaky trick for quickly removing a significant portion of the seeds- enough that a picky child or discriminating adult would be thrilled.
A recipe that is to die for and to please even the pickiest eater. A not-so-seedy jam is also less likely to get an objection from a picky child. Can you gather yet that I have picky kids? It’s a tragedy.
Plum Jam is an easy recipe that is elevated in a wonderful way by roasting the plums. Beginners can easily succeed with this canning recipe and the roasting plums make your home smell heavenly.
While we most often see the clear jelly in stores, grape jam is delicious and seems to be a bit more virtuous in my mind because more of the actual grape remains in the pot. It is grape-y in flavor, whole-food in a constitution, and entirely delicious
If you’re not ready for a video course, want to check out some more canning info first, I have a FREE Canning Basics course that you can dive into- I’ll pop into your inbox lessons that will get you off and canning! You can sign up here!
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