Certo Jam Making Tips
When making jam, we know that many people reach for CERTO as a pectin base to make their jam. The main benefit to using CERTO is that it produces a jam that is shelf stable, so you don’t need to freeze or refrigerate it until you’ve opened it for eating. At Heeman’s we prefer to use a different product (No Cook Freezer Jam) but we get lots of questions about how to make jam with CERTO and how many berries are needed for each method.
When reviewing how many berries you’ll need for CERTO jam, you may notice that there is far more sugar than fruit. If you’re like us and prefer your jam to have a fresh fruit flavour we’d recommend you check out this recipe for No Cook Freezer Jam.
CERTO Crystals
Cooked Jam – Yield: 8 cups
- 4.5 cups (2 quarts) crushed strawberries
- 1 package CERTO
- 7 cups of sugar
Cooked Jelly – Yield: 6 cups
- 3.5 cups (2.5 quarts) juiced strawberries
- 1 package CERTO
- 5 cups of sugar
No Cook Jam – Yield: 8 cups
- 4.5 cups (2 quarts) strawberries
- 1 package CERTO
- 7 cups of sugar
Info from CERTO about their product
CERTO Liquid, CERTO Crystals and CERTO Light are natural pectin products, carefully extracted from citrus fruit. Just follow the instructions and you can count on CERTO* to simplify jam, jelly and marmalade making every time – while preserving the natural taste of fresh fruit!
Helpful Hints:
- Always use ripe fruit to give the best flavour. Fruit should be free of blemishes.
- There is no need to sterilize containers for no-cook jams. Simply wash containers in hot soapy water then rinse
- Use correct measures. Use liquid measures for fruit and dry measures for sugar. Always use CERTO measurements for best results; deviations may cause poor results.
- Use a potato masher to crush berries a small amount at a time.
- Do not reduce sugar. It is critical for a good set.
- Frozen berries can be used if they have been frozen without sugar. For best results, thaw in the refrigerator.
For additional CERTO Jam and Jelly recipes, look inside every package of CERTO Fruit Pectin product for recipe inserts. Questions? If you are in a jam or would like more recipes call the jam making experts at the CERTO hotline 1-800-268-6038 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST Monday to Saturday during June to September.
**NOTE: Heeman Strawberry Farm DOES NOT SELL CERTO. We recognize that many people still use CERTO to make their jam, however we prefer Club House’s No Cook Freezer Jam. The mix uses 55% less sugar, is a no-cook and, in our opinion, makes a jam that truly captures the fresh strawberry taste.**
