Zucchini, Strawberry Jam

I have a few more zucchini recipes to post before I wrap up with zucchini and move on to some other veggie recipes.  Hope you find one or two you can use.

Here is a fun one that I tried this year for the first time.  It is great on the budget, using Zucchini to stretch or replace your strawberries, you only need Zucchini, Strawberry Jello, pectin and a little lemon juice or citric acid  I made two recipes, one with strawberries and one without.  They were both really good.  My favorite was for sure the one with strawberries, it was more than jam, almost like dessert, but the one without strawberries makes a great jam as well, and considering there is very little invested into, it is a great way to give Eddie inexpensive peanut butter and jellies after school everyday... since that is one of the things he loves;  Shhhh don't mention that zucchini is the main ingredient  I will wait till the jam is all gone and then pass on the "by the way".

Note: from what I can tell there are 3 different ways to prepare the zucchini for the jam: shredded, pureed or chunked.  I have tried the shredded and chunked so far.  I liked the shredded the better of the two, because it seemed to blend and look like wonderful preserves.  With the chunked, the pieces floated to the top of the jam jar, and looked decidedly suspicious to any child with a question about ingredients.  I think pureed may be a great way to do it, and it is on my list for the next batch.  Also, I wanted to mention that the jams came out slightly soft/loose, but once refrigerated jelled up wonderfully (probably due to the jello).

Update Note:  Water bath canning this recipe is questionable, because the zucchini is a low acid food, and therefore could present a problem when worrying about botulism growth.  So it is best to  store the jam in the refrigerator or freezer.  I have frozen quite a few things in freezer jars with no problems.  I usually leave a 1 1/2 inches headspace, and freeze initially with the lid off, and then once it has frozen and expanded, I put the lid on.

You can see that it is a pretty jam (sorry about the poor picture) It is nice over rice pudding don't you think?

Note:  Since I first posted this recipe, I have made it several times, and still really like it when I have an abundance of zucchini, and not strawberries.  I have updated a few things, so look for my notes.

Zucchini and Strawberry Jam

Ingredients
8 cups Zucchini peeled,  and pureed or shredded
4 cups sliced strawberries
1/4 cup water
8 cups sugar
3 Tbs lemon juice or 1 tsp citric acid
6 oz package Strawberry Jello

Instructions
Place zucchini, strawberries and water in stock pot bring to boil.  Simmer about twenty minutes until  are tender and then mash together.   Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Boil another 12 minutes.   Makes about 6 pints.  Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Note to Self: Try "Better Bowls" Gelatin next time, it does not contain Red Dye, but uses Beet juice for nice red coloring.

Zucchini Strawberry Jam (No fruit added)

Ingredients

12 cups  Zucchini skinned and pureed, shredded or chunked  

1/4 cup water

8 cups sugar

3 Tablespoons Lemon juice, or 2 teaspoons citric acid 

6 oz Strawberry Jello (or any flavor... I hear apricot is good, haven't tried it yet)

1 package pectin

Instructions
Place zucchini,  and water in stock pot bring to boil.  Simmer about twenty minutes until  are tender and then mash together.   Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Boil another 12 minutes.   Makes about 6 pints.  Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Spread a little "Better Butter" and then your Jam for a healthy treat.

Enjoy