Strawberry Jam
4 cups chopped strawberries
1 cup sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
All you do is hull and slice the berries and combine them with the sugar in a medium saucepan. Then bring them to a boil over high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes occasionally so the strawberries don’t burn or overflow the pot (you can turn it down to medium-high if necessary. If it burns, transfer to a new pot immediately). Add the lemon zest and juice (not all at once, and then add more to taste if desired) and cook 5 minutes more. Store in 3 clean glass jars in the fridge for up to a month.
Explanation: This is not canning, despite the picture of canning jars. This is jam for beginners who don’t want to go through the whole process of sterilizing jars, wiping down rims, softening lids, and reaching the perfect jam consistency by using a candy thermometre or the plate in the freezer technique. It’s for those who don’t feel like boiling a giant pot of water for an hour on a hot and humid summer day. Your jam may end up a bit runny or a bit stiff, but it will be delicious, and it will take you a grand total of twenty minutes.
You can also put two of your jars of unprocessed jam in the freezer (use recycled canning jars if freezing, though, since they’re designed to withstand heat and lack of heat). Then when you take them out of the freezer they’ll still have a one-month fridge life each.
If you’re looking for canning instructions for this recipe, here you go! Just use the quantities of ingredients listed above if you want strawberry jam and not strawberry-rhubarb.
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