Traditional Strawberry Jam

 Many of my friends prefer traditional strawberry jam- just plain Jane strawberries, sugar and a little bit of pectin- no vanilla, no chocolate, no other berries. This recipe is for you guys!

My recipe is based on Marisa McClennan’s, which is a basic jam not much different from your grandmother’s.

To make approximately eight 250ml jars.

Ingredients

10 cups    chopped strawberries, macerated overnight in two cups of sugar

7 cups.     Sugar (2 cups are macerating the strawberries, plus five for cooking

2.              Lemons, zested and juiced (about 2 tbsp of lemon juice)

1 box.       Liquid pectin (2 packets) Note: I used 2 tbsp of bulk pectin powder, added with the sugar at cooking time)

Directions

Put macerated berries, 5 cups sugar (included the bulk pectin if you are using instead of the liquid pectin) in a large pot and cook over medium high heat for about fifteen minutes.  Boil the fruit down until it begins to look syrup-y.  Use an immersion blender to purée about half the jam- carefully you don’t want the hot jam to splash you.

Add the liquid pectin, if using, at this point.  There will be foam on top of the jam.  Skim the foam with a large metal spoon.  Let boil for about ten minutes more.  I use a thermometer to ensure the boil reaches 220 degrees.  You can also place small plates in the freezer at the beginning of the cook and checking for gelling that way.

Fill the jars, wipe the rims with a cloth dipped in boiling water.  Top with flat lids and screw rings.  Place the jars in the steam canner.  When the dial is in the green zone, start timing ten minutes.  When the time is up, carefully remove the lid but leave the jars in the pot for about five minutes.  This will help prevent temperature shock.

Enjoy!