A festive sweet-tart jam made with strawberries, cranberries, orange, and warm holiday spices. It’s perfect for toast, biscuits, scones, or homemade Christmas gifts.
🛒 Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, finely chopped
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 small orange, zested
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 package (1.75 oz / 49 g) powdered fruit pectin
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the fruit
Wash the strawberries and cranberries. Remove the strawberry stems and finely chop the strawberries. Zest the orange and squeeze out the juice.
2. Combine everything
Add the strawberries, cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan.
3. Let the fruit release its juices
Stir everything together and let it sit for about 5 minutes. This helps the sugar start dissolving and the fruit release some moisture.
4. Cook the fruit
Place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently as the mixture heats up. The cranberries will begin to pop and soften.
5. Add the pectin
Once the mixture reaches a strong simmer, stir in the powdered pectin gradually, making sure there are no lumps.
6. Boil the jam
Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for about 1 minute.
7. Check the consistency
Remove a small spoonful and place it on a chilled plate. Let it cool for a minute. If it wrinkles slightly when pushed with your finger, the jam is ready. It will also thicken more as it cools.
8. Add vanilla
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
9. Remove foam
If there is foam on the surface, skim it off with a spoon.
10. Fill the jars
Pour the hot jam into clean, sterilized jars, leaving about ¼ inch (6 mm) headspace. Wipe the jar rims clean and seal with the lids.
11. Cool
Let the jars cool at room temperature. The jam will become noticeably thicker as it cools.
🎄 Helpful Tips
- Use frozen cranberries: They work perfectly if fresh cranberries aren’t available.
- Don’t reduce the sugar if you’re using regular powdered pectin, because the sugar-to-pectin balance affects how the jam sets.
- Don’t overcook: Cooking too long can make the jam overly thick.
- For a smoother jam: Mash the fruit with a potato masher while cooking.
- For extra holiday flavor: Add a tiny pinch of ground ginger or allspice.
- For gift-giving: Use small sterilized jars and decorate them with Christmas ribbon and a handwritten label.
- Storage: Refrigerate after opening. For long-term room-temperature storage, use a tested water-bath canning recipe and follow proper canning procedures rather than relying only on hot-filling.
