Strawberry jam
Today was the first day of the jam making season and what better way to start than with a large batch of strawberry jam. Our recipe is a merger and simplification of recipes from three sources, so all you need is equal parts very ripe strawberries (just picked is ideal) and sugar, plus pectin (either from concentrate or a couple of cooked down crab apples per kilogram of fruit). We used two kilograms of strawberries, two kilograms of sugar and 250g of apple pectin extract. After rinsing the strawberries, discard any really bad ones, hull the smallest ones (about 500g) and put them to one side, then hull and quarter the remaining strawberries.
Crush the quartered strawberries, either in a food processor or with a potato masher in a large bowl. Pour the crushed strawberries into a large, heavy, non-reactive pan, add the whole strawberries, the sugar and the juice of two lemons. Gradually bring to a boil.
As the strawberries come to the boil, carefully skim off the froth that comes to the surface. Once the jam is at a rolling boil, boil the jam for two minutes per kilogram of fruit or until setting point is reached (four minutes was fine four our two kilograms of fresh strawberries).
Once setting point is reached, remove the jam from the heat and stir in the pectin or cooked crab apples. Skim any remaining froth from the surface of the jam and allow to cool for a couple of minutes (this helps stop fruit rising to the surface of the jam). Ladle the hot jam into hot, sterilised jam jars and seal with hot, sterilised lids.
The end result – 10 one-pound (454g) jars of home-made strawberry jam plus a little over to have with bread tonight. Ten jars of jam will last us 20 weeks, which makes two kilograms of strawberries go a lot further than four desserts of fresh fruit. It also brings a welcome touch of summer to our meals in the depths of winter. Next to come, raspberry and rhubarb jam, very berry jam (similar to last year’s but with different berries) and, late in the season, gooseberry and apple jam. Delicious, as the Wee Un says!
Thanks for the pics!!
Thanks for this post Stonehead. I’m determined to make jam this year and you’ve explained it fairly simply (which is what I like). I made tomato ketchup for the first time at the weekend so am feeling full of enthusiasm and a bit more confident that I can do things like this. It was my first time trying to can/bottle anything but my sterilising and sealing seems to have worked so now roll on jam-making.
We too are strawberry lovers and can taste your jam from here, or it seems like that folks. I look forward to Sept and a taste of the freshness of your jam.
There is no doubt the old strawberry is simply delicious
That looks mouthwateringly delicious. It was apricot jam and chutney over here but not our own apricots unfortunately. I am so jealous of all your rhubarb