Strawberry and hibiscus bring out the best in each other, and never is that more apparent than in this delightful jam. Fruity and floral and subtly tropical, this jam is anything but ordinary.
Life is short, and strawberry season is even shorter.
Don’t waste one precious second.
We ditched work one afternoon last week (shh, don’t tell) and went strawberry picking, hoping to fill our flats with ripe red berries before the rain arrived. We had no particular plans for the berries other than consuming as many as our tummies would allow. It was also assumed that more than a few of these beautiful berries were bound for the canner.
And, tell me, are you really surprised? What did you expect for the first jam of the season?
As it turns out, strawberry hibiscus is a pretty incredible combination, and doesn’t do anything to dampen this little obsession I’m experiencing. And folks? I’ve still got half a bag left. I told you 1 pound of dried hibiscus went a long way.
This tropical jam is based off of last year’s Strawberry Vanilla jam recipe, replacing the vanilla bean with a concentrated hibiscus ‘tea’ made from dried flowers steeped in hot water.
The jam itself isn’t overly floral; the hibiscus does more to enhance the natural flavor and fruitiness of the strawberry than anything. But don’t take that to mean it tastes ordinary; it is anything but.
This recipe is a traditional jam, with no added pectin. It will produce a fairly loose jam, which I tend to prefer, as it is just as easily drizzled over vanilla ice cream as it is spread onto toast. If you prefer more gel in your jelly, up the pectin (with some lemon zest or some commercial pectin) and cook it a wee bit longer.
For an updated recipe with less sugar using Pomona’s pectin, check out my book, That’s My Jam!
Strawberry Hibiscus Jam
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped (6 cups chopped)
3 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 cup (1 ounce) dried hibiscus flowers
4 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1-2 large lemons)
Directions:
Wash, hull, and roughly chop berries. Toss with 1 1/2 cups sugar in a large bowl. Cover and chill for at least 2 to 3 hours or up to 72 hours.
Place hibiscus flowers in a heat-proof bowl or glass measuring cup. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over flowers. Let steep for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain, pressing out as much liquid from the flowers as possible. Discard flowers (or reserve for another use). Refrigerate until ready to use.
When you’re ready to make the jam, prepare canner and wash/sterilize 4 half-pint mason (or equivalent) jars. Keep jars in hot (not boiling) water until ready to use. Warm lids in hot (not boiling) water to sterilize and soften seal.
Pour the berries and all liquid into a large saucepan along with remaining sugar and hibiscus liquid. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer until the jam reaches 220 degrees F, stirring regularly. Add the lemon juice in the final 5 minutes of cooking.
You can test the gel of the jam by placing a spoonful on a chilled plate. Return to the freezer for 1 to 2 minutes, then check for doneness. Note that this recipe produces a fairly loose jam. If you want a firmer set, cook for a few minutes longer.
When jam has reached the desired consistency, remove from heat and skim off foam. Ladle hot sauce into jars, leaving 1/4-inch of headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Screw on lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water and let cool completely, 12 to 24 hours. Check seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within 3 weeks.
Adapted from Food in Jars.
All images and text ©Lindsay Landis / Love & Olive OilDid you make this recipe?
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Fabulous recipe. I used zest and juice of one lime the last five minutes of cooking. This is a keeper. Thank you for sharing!
Hi! I have a hibiscus tree and have been harvesting the flowers once they drop. Do you know approximately how many flowers = 1oz? Thanks!
Not sure, I used dried flowers which are going to be much lighter than fresh ones. It also depends on the size of your flowers too.
Ultimately it comes down to flavor preference, use however many flowers you’d like to get a desirable flavor.
I have two questions:
1) I accidentally added all 3 cups of sugar to the strawberries to macerate. Is there anything I should do to fix the mistake, or will it work out fine if I let it sit overnight?
2) I’d like to make this thick enough to completely set into a firm spread. How much traditional pectin should I add, and when?
If you want to add pectin to this recipe then I recommend following the process/proportions on your pectin package insert. Traditional pectin requires a specific amount of sugar to set properly, so you definitely don’t want to reduce that.
You could also mix in a bit of shredded apple if you want to thicken the jam without using any pectin – apples have a TON of pectin naturally and would likely thicken it up quite nicely!
Thanks Lindsay!
Oh my goodness, the flavor is fabulous! Have you considered adjusting proportions to make a bigger batch? It was a lot of work for 4 jars! Love it!
I do not recommend doubling jam recipes like this one as you need the surface area for the jam to cook properly (too much and it’d take too long, the jam would essentially caramelize). If you want to make a bigger batch, I’ve got an updated version of this recipe in my ebook that uses Pomona’s pectin, which allows a recipe to easily be doubled or tripled without affecting the final product. It’s also much quicker and lower sugar. :)
https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/thats-my-jam
This would also be great drizzled on top of cream cheese along with crackers..
Could I use frozen strawberries or blackberries????? Need to know so I can get them made up for TKSVG HOSTESS GIFTS. TKS P.S. I MAKE HIBISCUS TEA AND SYRUP WITH GINGER THAT IS ALSO VERY GOOD AND DRINK IT EVERY DAY..
It looks delicious!!! Can you post a photo of hibiscus? You always make some recipe using hibiscus, but I never saw a photo of it… =]
Thanks!
I don’t have a photo since the dried flowers aren’t exactly attractive, but if it helps I purchased mine from here: http://www.nuts.com/cookingbaking/herbsspices/hibiscus.html. I’ve also seen it for sale in specialty Mexican grocers (may be called Jamaica flowers as well).
Strawberry picking is an early summer must for strawberry lovers! It’s a great way to spend the day with family or friends and making strawberry recipes (and enjoying the results) is just as fun!
Where did you get those great labels?
Where do you go strawberry picking?
Mmm, look so good! Is there anything to sub the sugar with that would work well with this?
Hi Jenny! Unfortunately this jam recipe requires sugar to set properly. If you’re looking to make a low/no sugar option, I’d suggest purchasing some low-sugar pectin and then adapting one of the basic recipes included with that.
Your photos are beautiful :) and this jam sounds lovely!
I LOVE the little labels- how did you make those??? The strawberry jam looks amazing too–but man, those are good looking jars!
Such a great thing to do with strawberries! And I love the addition of the hibiscus! Lovely recipe.
I love your recipes! I just received both of your cookbooks and I can’t wait to try everything.
Such a gorgeous jam and delicious sounding flavor!
This looks so lovely! I’ve tried making jelly with roses before but not hibiscus!
I bet this would be spectacular in a cocktail too!
Do you think that instead of steeping the dried flowers you could use the powdered hibiscus? Might be a little stronger in flavor, but that could be a very good thing!
What do you think? How might that change the recipe?
¡Delicius!..a brad’s slice please… I want eat this now.
Kiss
This is gorgeous, Lindsay!
Strawberry season is almost here for us! I am beyond excited about it :)
This looks so yummy! I can’t wait to go strawberry picking soon- it’s one of my favourite things to do and the jams made with really fresh summer strawberries are always delicious! This looks like a great flavour combination too. Lovely photos!
Beautiful!! I need to make my own jam this summer!! I have got to!! This is my recipe, thank you!
That is a gorgeous looking jam! I love the flavors that you combined together!!!
Beautiful! I have always wanted to make jam and I think this is just the recipe to get me started!
Love this! And your labels are adorable!
This would go great on homemade scones
Ah so happy to see you used all the strawberries in jam! I love the addition of hibiscus, and those labels are so cute!
Great sounding jam, I’ve never used hibiscus but so tempted to start experimenting :)
Yum! Sounds delicious! I’m loving hibiscus lately!
I’ve never made anything with flowers before so I am a bit skeptical, but it certainly looks good! I need to get my butt in gear and go strawberry picking. Somehow the ones I bought at the store were bad.
Yum! My mom and I make jam every summer together. Pinning this one to try!
It’s gorgeous! I just got this new book, Cooking with Flowers, and my mind is blown all the ways to use them. And your jam is right up my alley. And good for you for skipping work!!! You’re the hardest working woman out there! :)
I just finished my first ever batch of jam last night using your recipe! I did lemon verbena instead of vanilla and O. M. G.
I am ready to make more jam though, and I’ll be sure to try this hibiscus variation. Thanks for the post!
I guessed it!!! I literally said when I saw your IG pic “bet its strawberry hibiscus!” and I’m right!! Victory dance!!
I need to make jam asap!
I should’ve guessed you’d use hibiscus! Thanks again for the goodies!
I love this Lindsay! I’ve never actually tried hibiscus anything but I imagine it would be so lovely with strawberries. (PS- If you want someone to take some of it off your hands I’m happy to at FBF ;) )
Yum! This jam sounds amazing. I’ve yet to try making jam and/or canning. Must attempt this year!