Classic Strawberry Jam

I only started making jam last year. It all got started when I was flipping through the BF’s copy of Fanny Farmer’s and stopped at the Jam, Jellies & Preserves section and realised how easy it was to make.

Suddenly it was like the lightbulb went on over my head and holiday gifting suddenly got a whole lot easier. (In my humble opinion,) jam is something that almost everyone enjoys, and uses — it doesn’t get tucked away and forgotten after a polite thank you and thoughts of “what am I going to do with this?”

After tasting my first batch, I was hooked — it only had three ingredients and I didn’t have to worry about any mysterious packages of pectin. It was delicious! and popular with other folks! and easy — have I mentioned yet how easy it is to make? Let me tell ya:

The Recipe

makes approximately three 1/2 pint / 250mL jars

(The great thing about this recipe is that it’s a ratio that works with most fruits, so if you’d like to switch it up a bit and add it something else, just make sure the ratio stays the same.)

4 cups chopped strawberries
3 cups sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon — approximately 2 tbsp / 10mL

How-To

Place the strawberries and lemon juice in a large pot (bigger is better — the fruit will foam, so you want some extra room.)  and cook over medium heat until the fruit is tender.

Mash the strawberries (it’s okay to leave a few chunks of fruit if you like some whole fruit in your jam), then add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly, stirring occasionally, until jam is thick and passes a gel test (this usually takes 10 – 15 minutes, but can vary).

Pour into jars and either refrigerate once cool or preserve using a hot water bath.

Enjoy!

Not sure about the intricacies of canning? It’s not difficult even if you’re intimidated at first. Local Kitchen has a great post that lays out all the steps to do it right. (She’s a little more thorough than I am, but learning good habits is never a bad thing.)