It’s Ontario Strawberry Season! Tips, Tricks and a Simple Strawberry Jam Recipe

Have you ever checked out the Foodland Ontario website? We highly recommend it for information and availability charts on all of your seasonal favourites. We have grabbed some great information from their site to help provide some great information on everyone’s July favourite – Ontario Strawberries!

Origin and Nutrition

Seeds found in Europe show strawberries existed in prehistoric times. The wild fruit was originally picked for its medicinal value. The leaves were boiled and made into poultices, the fruit prescribed as a remedy for “the redness and heat of the face.” Jacques Cartier saw “vast patches” of wild strawberries along the St. Lawrence River in 1534. Cultivation began in 17th century England and by the 1800’s in North America. Strawberries are an excellent source of Vitamin C, potassium and fibre as well as being low in calories.

Selecting Ontario Strawberries

If you do get out to a Pick Your Own farm, gently hold the stem between thumb and forefinger. Carefully pinch and break the stem to release the berry without squeezing the berry itself.

When shopping locally, look for berries that are completely red with no white or green spots and have a sweet smell. Avoid crushed berries and be wary of berries packed in juice-stained containers. The size of the berries is not important. All strawberries large and small are equally sweet and juicy. We hand pack our quarts of Ontario Strawberries at Vince’s Market and do our best to sort and compost the less than desirable ones.

Storing Ontario Strawberries

If you do find some damaged berries in your pick-your-own basket or in a store bought package it is important to remove any damaged berries as soon as possible to keep the rest of the berries fresh. Trim damaged areas and use in sauces, ice creams or in baking where appearance doesn’t matter.

Store berries in the refrigerator with hulls intact, unwashed, and lightly covered in a single layer. Use within three to six days. Just before serving, gently rinse under cold running water (avoid soaking because the strawberries will absorb water and lose flavour), gently pat dry with paper towels, and hull.

Freezing Ontario Strawberries

Strawberries may be frozen whole or sliced, with or without sugar, for up to twelve months. Before using, thaw at room temperature.

To freeze without sugar, place in a single layer on a large tray or cookie sheet. Freeze until firm (about one hour), pack in freezer bags drawing off as much air as possible, and seal.

To freeze with sugar, pack in rigid containers, sprinkling sugar between each layer. For every 4 cups (1 L) whole washed and hulled strawberries, allow 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar; for the same amount of sliced strawberries, allow 3/4 cup (175 mL) of sugar.

Try our simple recipe!

Simple Strawberry Honey Jam

3 pounds strawberries
1 1/4 cup honey (you can use more to taste)
3/4 of unpeeled apple, grated (maybe a tad more)
3/4 tablespoon lemon juice

Rinse, hull and slice (in half) the berries. Add the berries, honey, grated apple, and lemon juice to a large pot over high heat. With a potato masher, mash the berry mixture slightly. Once the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium and allow the mixture to continue to boil lightly for approximately 40 – 60 minutes. Mash the fruit with a potato masher once the fruit begins to soften. The more you mash the berries, the smoother your end product will be. If foam forms on top of the fruit you can skim and discard if desired. The berries will burst and thicken so be sure to scrape the sides of the pot and stir as you go. The longer the jam cooks the thicker the final product will be, although this recipe does not become quite as thick as typical store-bought jam.

While the jam is cooking, sterilize and prepare your jars, lids and bands.

When the jam is done cooking do a taste test to make sure the thickness and flavor is to your liking. If you aren’t sure if it’s thick enough you can do the cold plate test. (Put a plate in the freezer to get cold. Take the plate out when you believe your jam is ready and spoon some onto the plate. Run your finger through the jam and it should act set and more like jam.) Fill your jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Make sure that you clean the rims of the jars after filling them since jam can be messy business.
Process your filled jars for 10 minutes in a water bath.

Label jar and store in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.

Source: Simple Strawberry Honey Jam

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Till next time!

Giancarlo