How to Make Fig-Strawberry Jam with Jello Gelatin - Easily! With Step-by-step Photos, Recipe, Directions, Ingredients and Costs
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How to Make Homemade Fig-Strawberry Jam with Jello (Gelatin) - Easily!

I've got some other pages for specific types of jam, too: See this page for Fig Jam, this page for Blueberry Jam directions and this page for how to make apricot, peach, plum or nectarine jam.
For more information about figs and strawberries, see Fig Picking Tips, Strawberry Picking Tips and Miscellaneous strawberry facts. Also, see this page for directions about how to can figs and this page for strawberry and other berry jams!
For easy applesauce or apple butter directions, click on these links.
Ingredients and Equipment
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Optional stuff:
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Jam-making Directions
Step 1 - Pick the figs and berries! (or buy them already picked)
It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality ones!
At right is a picture I took of Brown Turkey figs - they are plentiful in late August throughout the South. Other types of figs are fine, too. Strawberries are usually in season in May or June in most areas, so you may want to pick and freeze your strawberries (without sugar) and make this jam when the figs come in season. See this page on freezing strawberries.
I prefer to grow my own; which is really easy, especially for figs, strawberries can more challenging - but growing anything does take some space and time. That's why we have pick-your-own farms!
As
mentioned above; you may use frozen figs or berries (those with or without syrup or
added sugar); which is especially useful if you want to make some jam in
December to give away at Christmas!
Above and at left are strawberries that I picked at a pick-your-own farm. If you want to pick your own, here is a list and links to the pick your own farms.
How much fruit?
Gelatin jams are made in rather small batches - about 3 or 4 cups of prepared fruit at a time - The gelatin doesn't set up well otherwise.
Step 2 - Wash the jars and lids
Canning jars in the dishwasherNow's a good time to get the jars ready, so you won't be rushed later. The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle, the water bath processing will sanitize them as well as the contents! If you don't have a dishwasher with a sanitize cycle, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sanitize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used.
NOTE: If a canning recipe calls for 10 minutes or more of process time in the canner, then the jars do not need to be "sanitized" before filling them. But really, sanitizing them first is just good hygeine and common sense! See this page for more detail about cleaning and sanitizing jars and lids.
Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water (that's what the manufacturer's recommend) for 10 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out. Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot jam.
Step 3 -Wash and hull the strawberries!
The old time recipe does not use any fresh strawberries; just the strawberry-flavored Jello. If you want to do that, you may omit the strawberries, and skip this step.
If you are using strawberries,
I'm
sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in plain cold water.
With strawberries you must remove the hulls (green parts), and the slice the berries into halves (for small berries) quarters for large berries.
Step 4 - Peel and chop the figs
You need to cut off the stems and the bottom of the
fig, but you do not need to peel them - you CAN peel them if you
want to. I only peel the grody* looking ones (example photo below)
or those with thick skins.
(* knarly, gross, yucky)
At left, sample figs with unappealing peels (skins). If the skin looks fine, I chop it up, but if the skins are tough, think or unappealing like these...
I peel ----->
At
left is a sample slice of a perfectly ripe but not over-ripe fig. It
depends on the variety, but generally, they should be pink/yellowish and not
brown inside....
Some recipes call for the figs to sit in boiling water for 5 to 15 minutes
to "check or
tenderize the skins. Since the skins have no flavor, I'd rather remove
them if they are thick or tough... otherwise, just chop them up along with
the rest of the fig.
I do remove any stems and bruised spots.
You'll
need 3 cups of the prepared (chopped) figs. You can chop them up more, if
you like, but I find they soften and break up during cooking, an
d
if I want smaller pieces, I just use a sharp-edged plastic potato masher
(shown at right) to mush them while cooking)
You should now have 1 cup of sliced strawberries and 3 cups of chopped figs! I suspect you could vary the ratio, as long as the total amount of fruit is 4 cups.
Step 5 - Measure out the sugar
You should only need
3 cups of
sugar.
If you would rather try to make jam with no added sugar, you might want to try the other strawberry-fig jam recipe using pectin instead of gelatin. I haven't tried making the gelatin type without sugar; it might not set up, but I have tested the pectin type without sugar.
Step 6 - Get the lids warming in hot (but not boiling) water
If
you haven't done so already, put the lids into a pan of hot water (barely
simmering) for at least several minutes; to soften up the gummed surface and
clean the lids.
Need lids, rings and replacement jars?
Get
them all here, delivered direct to your home, at the best prices on the
internet!
Step 7 - Mix the sugar, jello, figs and strawberries and bring to a full boil
Combine
the sugar, gelatin (jello) strawberries and figs in a large pot. Put the pot on the stove over medium to high heat
(stir often enough to prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10
minutes to get it to a full boil (the kind that cannot be stirred away).
Step 8 - Lower the heat and boil for 3 to 5 more minutes
... Lower the heat and continue to boil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often!
Then remove from the heat.
Step
9 - Fill the jars with the hot jam and put the lid and rings on
Fill
them to within 1/4-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seat
the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put the filled jars into the canner!
This is where the jar tongs come in really handy!
Step 10 - Process the jars in the boiling water bath
Keep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water
boiling. In general, boil them for 5 to 10 minutes. I say "in general" because you have
to
process
(boil) them longer at higher altitudes than sea level, or if you use larger
jars, or if you did not sanitize the jars and lids right before using them.
Clemson
University says you only need to process them for 5 minutes. I usually
hedge my bets and start pulling them out after 5 minutes, and the last jars
were probably in for 10. I rarely have a jar spoil, so it must work.
But you don't want to process them too long, or the jam will turn dark and
get runny. See the chart below for altitude adjustment to processing
times, if you are not in the sea level to 1,000ft above sea level range.
Note: Some people don't even boil the jars; they just ladle it hot into hot jars, put the lids and rings on and invert them, but putting the jars in the boiling water bath REALLY helps to reduce spoilage! To me, it makes little sense to put all the working into making the jam and then not to process the jars to be sure they don't spoil!
Recommended process time for jams in a boiling water canner. |
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Process Time at Altitudes of | ||||
Style of Pack | Jar Size | 0 - 1,000 ft | 1,001 - 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
Hot | Half-pints or Pints |
5 min | 10 | 15 |
Step 11 - Remove and cool the jars - Done!
Lift
the jars out of the water with your jar lifter tongs and let them cool
without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes
overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave
them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place
due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they
are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in
the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often
making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the
refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the
lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the
contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the
canner, it's usually ok.
Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren't as good. So eat them in the first 6 months after you prepare them! Another trick is to keep the uncooked berries or other fruit in the freezer and make and can the jam as needed, so it's always fresh.
FAQS
- Comments from a visitor on July 08, 2011: "I used your recipe last year
for strawberry pie filling. I am down to the last two jars and just canned
some fresh filling. I noticed that the color of last years is more brown
than red. Is it still good? I LOVE your website and refer to it constantly!
Robin Howard
Answer: Yes, over time, the color usually darkens and the jam gets a bit more runny, but if it is still sealed and no other signs of spoilage are present, it's safe to eat!
Comments, Tips and Feedback:
- Comments from a visitor on July 07, 2011: "Thanks so much for the fantastic fig-strawberry jam recipe. I tried it exactly as given here and it is delicious, a good consistency, and it looks beautiful. Also, thanks for the hint to let the cooked mixture sit for 5 minutes so the fruit didn't rise to the top, it worked! I chose to use the 2 1/4 cups of sugar just because sugar is a natural preservative, and the jam is just right. Oh, and, I used frozen strawberries. I had tried somebody else's fig-strawberry jello jam and it was way too sweet. Thanks for a great recipe with lots of good hints. I highly recommend it."
- Comments from a visitor on June 23, 2011: "I just wanted to thank you for your fig recipes and process pages. We have a good sized fig tree out our kitchen window and each year, since the first year of our marriage 12 years ago, I make fig and strawberry fig preserves for my husband. I have tried several recipes for regular fig jam and this one is by far, hands down, my new go to favorite recipes. Easy and Delicious with just right consistency. Also, I've always used the strawberry jello method for strawberry fig jam and usually do not eat it because it is too syrupy sweet for me. This year I made your recipe, I love your quote, there is no jello in preserves, and love, love it. My husband is on a mission trip and is returning tomorrow. I am so excited to share these jams with him. I should get extra bonus points. Thank you again. Oh, and I just made deck jam: That means I only used the figs I could reach from the deck or a chair. The tree is still 3/4 full and most are not even ripe yet. I see more canning in my future.
Other Equipment:From left to right:
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Home Canning KitsFeatures:
This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)! There is also a simple kit with just the canner and rack, and a pressure canner, if you want to do vegetables (other than tomatoes). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here!
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Canning booksCanning & Preserving for Dummies
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Canning and Preserving For Dummies |
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The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes PaperbackThis is THE book on canning! My grandmother used this book when I was a child. It tells you in simple instructions how to can almost anything; complete with recipes for jam, jellies, pickles, sauces, canning vegetables, meats, etc. If it can be canned, this book likely tells you how! Click on the link below for more information and / or to buy (no obligation to buy)
Click here for more information about the
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Summary - Typical Cost of Making Homemade Jam - makes 8 jars, 8 oz each** |
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Item | Quantity | Cost in 2021 | Source | Subtotal |
Berries (strawberries) | 1 gallon | $8.00/gallon | Pick your own | $8.00 |
Canning jars (8 oz size), includes lids and rings | 18 jars | $/dozen 8 oz jars | Grocery stores, like Public, Kroger, Safeway and sometimes, Big Lots, local hardware stores and big box stores | $10.00 |
Sugar | 4 cups | $2.00 | Grocery stores, like Public, Kroger, Safeway and sometimes, Big Lots, local hardware stores and big box stores | $2.00 |
Pectin (low sugar, dry) | 1 and a third boxes * | $2.00 per box | Grocery stores, like Public, Kroger, Safeway and sometimes, Big Lots, local hardware stores and big box stores | $2.70 |
Total | $22.70 total or about $1.25 per jar |
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* pectin use varies - blackberry
jam needs very little, raspberry a little more, strawberry the most.
** - This assumes you already have the pots, pans, ladles, and reusable equipment. Note that you can reuse the jars and reduce the cost further; just buy new lids (the rings are reusable, but the flat lids are not)! |
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