Strawberry jam: properties, calories and cooking rules

For many adults, memories of childhood are saturated with the aroma and taste of strawberries.And strawberry jam is just a masterpiece of culinary skill. Its taste is especially pleasant in the winter evening when there is a vase with strawberry treat on the table, hot tea is poured in a mug, and a blizzard howls outside the window.

The taste of strawberry jam is probably familiar to most people. Looking into the story, it becomes clear that the very name of the berry comes from the old Russian word "strawberry", which means "hanging near the ground." Today, almost all gardeners are engaged in growing strawberries. The fruits of home sowing are large in size, but not very rich in flavor. But the forest seedlings, on the contrary, are very fragrant, their smell spreads over a long distance, but the size of ripened fruits is small. You can make jam from both forest and garden plants.

In addition to forest and garden strawberries, there is a meadow variety in nature. Her berries during ripening acquire a rounded shape. Aroma and taste differ in brightness and saturation. An important feature of meadow strawberries is their long shelf life. The reason for this is the density of the fruit. But, despite the natural diversity, each type of strawberry has healing properties. That is why many housewives are trying to prepare more jars of strawberry jam to saturate the body with vitamins all year round. By the way Healing qualities are not only berries, but also its leaves and roots.

An important feature of strawberry jam is its composition, where there is a full range of vitamins. Under the influence of high temperature, the berries do not lose their beneficial substances. Therefore, in the event of even a mild cold, strawberry jam can replace all medicines. The composition of the dessert of strawberries contains vitamins of group B, where folic acid is considered to be especially important.

The presence of vitamin C has a beneficial effect on the rise of human immunity. The list of useful minerals are iron, zinc and manganese. It is worth noting that strawberry jam is rich in calcium and useful for bones. 100 grams of strawberry dessert contains 219 kcal. Despite this figure, many nutritionists advise their clients to include strawberry jam in the composition and nutritional standards, but in moderation. Restricted use will not add extra calories and will not affect weight, but the body will receive a lot of nutrients.

The richness of the vitamin complex of strawberry jam explains Numerous useful properties of this delicious dessert:

• its regular use contributes to raising the immune system, especially during the period of avitaminosis;
• strawberry jam can be replaced with many cough medicines, as well as drugs that fight against viral diseases;
• by nature, strawberries produce a laxative effect;
• for people suffering from problems with the digestive system, a few tablespoons of strawberry jam per day are essential;
• among other things, strawberry dessert has a diuretic effect;
• A daily spoon of strawberry treat fights cholesterol and slags in the human body.

Special attention to the use of strawberry jam should be paid to young moms. When breastfeeding is strictly prohibited to sharply introduce strawberries into the body of a child. Of course, breast milk transmits a lower concentration of substances to the health of the infant, but even a small dose can cause an allergic reaction in the baby. To surely protect your child, you need to try to eat only one teaspoon, preferably in the morning. And then observe the reaction of the child.

But the observation must take place not one day, but as many as three, so that the children's body finally shows the presence or absence of allergy.

In the process of making strawberry jam has its own small, but very significant secret. It lies in the separation of the berries themselves from their tails. Of course, this process takes a long time, but the final result will exceed all expectations. For cooking it is important to choose a deep dish with enamelled coating. The ideal option would be an aluminum basin. In this case, the jam will not burn, and the berries will not sink to the bottom. Sterile jars should be used for winter storage. The classic recipe requires few ingredients, but a maximum of concentration on the cooking process. You will need:

• wild strawberry - 1 kg;
• granulated sugar - 1.7 kg;
• water - 300 ml;
• citric acid - 2 g

Before you start cooking, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with the cooking process.

• First you need to prepare the main ingredient. You must go to the forest thicket at sunny time of the day. Take an open container for picking berries. Strawberry fruits can be stored for three days after harvest at room temperature.
• Before cooking, you need to separate the berries from the sepals, select only ripe fruits and rinse them thoroughly. It is desirable that the fruits are not damaged and not crushed. Washed strawberries should be placed in a colander to drain the remaining water.
• Next, you need to cook sugar syrup. Sugar is poured into the prepared container and filled with water. The mass is placed on medium heat and cooked for fifteen minutes. Stir the mixture periodically. On the surface there may be foam, from which it is necessary to get rid of.
• As soon as the syrup reaches readiness, strawberries are poured into a container. The mass must be brought to a boil, then removed from the heat and left to languish for fifteen minutes.
• The process of bringing to a boil and a fifteen minute rest should be performed four times. While the container is on the stove, it is important to slightly stir the future strawberry dessert. From foam be sure to get rid of.
• During the fourth cooking, you must add citric acid and carefully move the thickening mixture.
• The finished jam is poured into sterile jars, tightly closed and turned upside down. Blanks required to wrap with warm clothes to cool. After that, rearrange the banks in a dark place, the temperature for storage should not differ from room heat.

There are a lot of recipes for strawberry jam. It can be cooked in a bread maker, in a slow cooker, even in a microwave. In addition, recipes vary depending on the purpose of use. It remains only to choose the method and purpose of cooking. For those who want to eat fresh jam today there is a five-minute recipe. It will require:

• strawberries - 1 kg;
• granulated sugar - 1 kg;
• water - 1 cup.

Cooking dessert is easy.

• To begin with, strawberries are picked, ripe and whole fruits are selected, and then thoroughly washed under running water.
• Prepared berries are poured with half the cooked sugar and set aside for 1 hour in a cool place. During this time, strawberries will make juice.
• The remaining half of the sugar falls into a saucepan, is poured with water and put on the fire.
• As soon as the syrup boils, cooled berries are laid out in it. The fire is put on an average. The foam is removed, and the total mass is brought to a boil.
• After boiling, the jam is cooked for another five minutes, then it is thoroughly mixed. Then again, five minutes on the fire, and again interfere.
• Ready jam must be cooled, and then rearranged in the refrigerator.And in the evening you can enjoy the special taste of strawberry jam with a cup of hot tea.

Strawberry jam, like any other dessert, must be served chilled in a special vase. Or pour in small saucers for each family member. You can use it as a full-fledged sweet dessert or as an addition to other products, for example, it is very tasty if you mix cottage cheese with it.

Strawberry jam can be used as one of the important ingredients for making rich recipes. Children really like bagels with strawberry filling. Adults will appreciate the buns with strawberry secrets inside. Unusual, but extremely tasty are the pies with a sweet filling. For family holidays, you can make strawberry pie.

How to make strawberry jam, see in the video below.