Strawberry-Cucumber-Lime Jam

We had more cukes than we knew what to do with, and they weren't good for pickling. So combine that with a recipe I found for cucumber lime jam and the pureed strawberries I had saved for jam, and I had an idea.

I'd finally braved the world of canning a couple of weeks ago (a half bushel of tomatoes will do that to a girl), and so I thought I could manage jam. I've made freezer jam before, to great acclaim, but never cooked/canned jam. And of course, I couldn't just follow a regular recipe, could I.

Strawberry-Cucumber-Lime Jam

4 cups pureed cucumber (seeded, peeled, about 3 large cucumbers)
3 limes
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 cups strawberries, pureed or crushed
7 cups sugar
1 package liquid pectin

I cubed and then pureed two of the limes (the whole lime), and then pureed the cucumbers in with them. (I actually had to do this in two batches). Then I grated the fresh ginger in and added the juice from the third lime. Then I tossed all the fruit/veg mix into a pot with the sugar. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the liquid pectin, bring back to a boil, and boil for one more minute. Skim the foam off the top and let it sit while you finish all of your canning prep.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation has great instructions on how to can, so I won't even try to get into that here, so I'm such an amateur I'd probably mess up the instructions and someone would try to hold me liable. Go to another resource, like the one above, for the canning part of things. I'll simply say that I did the 5 minute boiling water bath.

So far (I just barely finished up and the jam is still setting and cooling), the only thing I think I would change is to puree only 1 lime, and juice two. The lime is a bit strong (which I like, but not everyone is a fan), so a bit less lime zest/pith would probably be better. I'd be hesitant to go with less lime juice overall, though, just because I'm not so good at guessing how much acid I need to balance the cucumbers.

The boys are currently eating the jam foam with some fresh gluten-free/allergen free "graham" crackers the hubster just made.

-Thyme