Strawberry Zucchini Jam

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This mock strawberry zucchini jam is such a fabulous way to turn your summer squash harvest into something unexpected and delicious. It is quick to put together and fabulous spread over toast or swirled into yogurt.

It’s zucchini season again! You know what that means, pretty soon there will be more green squash laying around than you know what to do with.

Neighbors will be leaving it on your porch and vendors at the farmers market will practically be paying you to take it away. It goes from good to overwhelming for folks quickly.

Uses for Zucchini

I actually really love zucchini in all of its forms. We sautee it a lot or toss it on the grill.

It is fabulous in veggie mixes like my fun twist on succotash. And it is delicious in Parmesan roasted zucchini and tomatoes.

But zucchini isn’t limited to savory side dishes. It is fabulous in sweet recipes as well.

Of course we know that because zucchini bread is always popular. Mini loaves of zucchini bread are also a great option.

A few years ago I stumbled onto making a mock apple pie with zucchini. It is surprisingly delicious!

I used that same basic principle to make a brown sugar zucchini crisp that also tastes just like apple. It is fun to make something so different from a familiar vegetable.

So this recipe is a natural extension of that idea. It takes shredded zucchini and turns it into tasty preserves.

Where This Recipe Came From

I had never heard about making jam out of zucchini until a Facebook friend clued me in. We were talking about our favorite ways to use zucchini on the Cooking With Carlee Facebook page.

Someone mentioned making peach jelly out of zucchini and of course I was intrigued. She shared the recipe and I just knew I had to make it for you.

The recipe itself only takes a few ingredients to make. Mostly it is peeled and shredded zucchini, sugar, pineapple, lemon juice and the key surprise ingredient.

It’s jello! That is where the strawberry flavor comes from in this version.

But it also makes it super simple to change up the flavor. Make peach like the original recipe or do an orange marmalade version.

It would be great with raspberry jello or even a bright lemon flavor. Picking a flavor is a big part of the fun.

Adaptations

In addition to changing the flavor of jello, I also reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe. Obviously sugar is an integral part of most preserves, but this still works well with the reduced amount.

I also increased the amount of crushed pineapple. I love pineapple, so a large can seemed more appropriate than a small one.

I increased the cook time a bit to make up for the added liquid and decreased sugar content. Then I hit the softened zucchini with an immersion blender for a bit to smooth out the finished product just a smidge.

Your jam will likely be a brighter red color. We used a naturally colored jello, so it’s not as bright as most.

The finished product was a nice spred that was perfect for toast. It has just enough texture to be interesting with no big chunks.

The flavor is bright and fun. It is strawberry forward but is mostly just sweet and fruity.

Little Dude thought it tasted a bit like mango and my husband was surprised how much he liked it. The jars were fun to pass out among family members.

It is fun to surprise people with fun treats like this. It would make a perfect host gift with a fresh loaf of bread as well!

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review in the recipe card below!

Thanks for sharing!