You love homemade fruit spreads, but every year the same problem - the beautiful red strawberry jam turns brown. But why actually and what can you do about it? Find out here!
Anyone who cooks their own jam knows that it just tastes so much better than the supermarket variety. You can give it a personal touch with vanilla, lemon thyme and the like.
Provided with a label it is suitable as a small souvenir as well as a Christmas or birthday gift.
It is worthwhile to make a larger quantity.
But what is it? The beautiful fruit jelly changes color and suddenly looks anything but appetizing. The brown shade is even quite disgusting. You can't give the jam away like this under any circumstances.
Why does strawberry jam turn brown and is there really anything you can do about it? That's exactly what a friend asked me recently. In response, I went straight to the cellar and lo and behold: My homemade strawberry jam with birch sugar has not turned brown. But what is the reason?
I did some research for you!
Table of contents
Why does strawberry jam turn brown?
Homemade strawberry jam turns brown or gets a grayish tinge after a few months. Light and vitamin C are responsible for this. The light destroys the natural pigments of the fruit, vitamin C accelerates the process.
Anthocyanins are responsible for the red color of strawberries. They can be rapidly broken down by enzymes, which means that the color is not stable and changes.
It is quite a normal process that red jam turns into a brownish-greyish fruit spread after a few months. You have done nothing wrong in the making and can eat the strawberry jam without hesitation.
The color is lost especially fruit spreads, which are made with berries from very light pulp.
Strawberry varieties that are also bright red on the inside are much less likely to change color in jam and co. "With late strawberry varieties, the shade of red is degraded much less quickly," explains obstetrician Dr. Helga Buchter-Weisbrodt in an interview.
Especially berries that ripen from May are known to be white inside.
This means for you: Use only very ripe berries that ripen late. The darker and more intense the color, the more beautiful the jam will be.
But dark red strawberries contain much more health-promoting ingredients anyway. So if you have a choice, you should give them preference.
Have you ever made strawberry jam without sugar?
Why store-bought strawberry jam does not turn brown?
Purchased strawberry jam is treated with an enzyme inhibitor. It prevents the strawberry jam from turning brown. Some store-bought jams also contain preservatives and colorants to keep them looking fresh longer.
Myth or fact: What really helps against brown strawberry jam?
There are a few tips circulating on the internet that do exactly the opposite of what you want. They make the whole problem worse. Let's look at what's true and what's a myth.
What turns strawberry jam brown and how to prevent it?
Ascorbic acid against brown strawberry jam
Many claim that ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can stop the discoloration process.
It is true that vitamin C prevents discoloration in many fruits. But with strawberries, the opposite is true. "The jam loses its red color even faster as a result," the expert knows.
Why does this happen? Strawberry jam turns brown because the vitamin C is broken down during storage. This releases hydrogen peroxide, which breaks down the red pigments (anthocyanins) of the berries even faster.
Tip: As a strawberry fan you should taste this strawberry syrup!
Freeze jam to preserve the color
One tip that is guaranteed to work is freezing jam. Here you have two options.
You can freeze the finished cooked fruit spread. Attention: Do not fill too full, the jam expands and can cause the jar to burst.
Or you can freeze the strawberries and prepare a smaller amount of fruit spread each time.
With frozen strawberries, the jam tastes quite the same as with fresh fruit. However, the effort here is a bit greater. For those who value beautiful color and want to give the jam as a gift, however, the consideration is worthwhile.
Help with red fruits
If you want to save yourself this effort, you can stir a few fruits into the jam for extra color. If you use very little of it, you will hardly notice it in taste. But the color looks much fresher.
In addition, the strawberry jam does not turn brown. Especially good are suitable:
- Elderberries (beware of some inherent taste),
- Blackcurrant,
- Blueberries from the forest,
- Blackberries,
- Aronia berries
- or beet juice (do not worry, the taste is not noticeable)
On a kilogram of strawberries you take about a 150 g of these fruits. Try it, it really works!
What also works in terms of color and tastes very tasty is Strawberry jam with rhubarb. You'll prevent the brown color if you use only the red rhubarb stems.
In the cellar jam remains red
It can help against browning if you store the jam in a cool place. This way it will stay reddish a little longer, but will also turn brown after time. You can win in a dark room without light about one to two months. However, not much longer.
If this is enough for you, then you should store the jam in a very dark place. You can prevent the red dye from splitting if you store the jam in a dark place. do not store above 5 degrees.
How does jam keep the red color?
When freezing strawberry jam, the red color is preserved. The low temperatures prevent the reaction of the fruit and vitamin C. Thus, the jam remains edible for a long time and also visually an eye-catcher. After thawing, it tastes like freshly cooked.
How to freeze strawberry jam:
- Fill the jars only 3/4 full so that the fruit spread can expand during freezing
- Let the jam cool completely
- Store the jars upright in the freezer
- Get the spread out of the freezer the night before and let them thaw in the fridge.
Can you eat brown strawberry jam?
In most cases, the answer is: Yes. Brown jam is not spoiled, and the taste also changes little.
It is best to rely on your senses. If it smells good and no mold is evident, taste a small amount. It should taste exactly the same as fresh jam. If it shows even the slightest appearance of mold - throw it in the organic waste. To remove the mold with a spoon and then eat the jam normally - this is not a good idea!
I like to use brown jam for baking. Here, the color plays a secondary role. Problem solved. To freshen up you can also just add a little Food coloring* Stir in.
What is the shelf life of homemade jam?
The actual shelf life of jams depends on many factors. On the one hand, on the ingredients used - the more sugar it contains, the longer it is usually edible, and on the other hand, on how cleanly you work.
Jars and work utensils must be sterilized before you get to work. You can sterilize jars in the oven, microwave, or in a crock pot. Check this out: "How to properly clean jars for jam and syrup“
Use only fresh fruit without mushy or rotten spots and boil the fruit for a while to kill bacteria.
Fill the jars with hot jam and close them immediately. Leave them to cool overnight and put them not on the head.
Now the strawberry jam can be kept for at least a year, usually much longer. It can only happen that the strawberry jam turns brown - but this is nothing to worry about, as we have just learned.
Once you have opened the jar, store it in the refrigerator and use it quickly. Once opened, the jam will keep for about 2 weeks.
Our conclusion
Strawberry jam turns brown because the red pigment is broken down. You can help by mixing other fruits into the jam or freezing it. That it turns brown is quite normal, you have done nothing wrong.
Even if it no longer looks as appetizing as before: Brown strawberry jam can be eaten without hesitation.
Have fun trying it out!
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