This is one of my favorite times of the year — strawberry season. What a wonderful treat fresh picked strawberries are; they make so many great things, so much more than just strawberry shortcake. I should probably tell you that I was never able to make jellies or jams, tried for years without any success. But when I discovered Pomona’s Universal Pectin, it works every time! Like magic!
Here’s a delicious and easy recipe for sugar-free strawberry jam. Note that you can also make raspberry, blackberry, peach, apple, pear, plum, prune, etc., jams using this method.
Wash and hull:
- 9 cups fresh strawberries
You can either mash them with a potato masher or puree them in your food processor; it all depends on how smooth you want your jam. If you like pieces of strawberry in your jam, use the masher.
Follow the instructions on Pomona’s Universal Pectin* to make calcium water.
Put in a 3 quart or larger pot:
- 8 cups strawberries, pureed or mashed
- 4 teaspoons calcium water
Bring to a boil.
While you’re waiting for the strawberries to heat, combine:
- 3/4 cup agave nectar with
- 4 teaspoons Pomona’s Universal Pectin
I find the pectin mixes best into the nectar if you add the pectin to the agave rather than adding the agave to the pectin. Use a small whisk to blend.
When the strawberries are bubbling, stir in the pectin-nectar mixture. Continue heating for several minutes (2-3) to dissolve the pectin. Remove from heat. Pour into water bathed jars. This should make 4 pint jars and a 1/2 pint jar.
You can either put these filled jars into a water bath for 10 minutes or, I prefer the easier method of just letting them cool completely and then placing them in the freezer.
- Use Pomona’s Universal Pectin because it’s specifically created to work with low or no sugar recipes.



