How To Make Strawberry Jam

Never try to attempt this recipe outside of the strawberry growing season, because the sun needs to have turned the natural starches of the fruit into sugar. All fresh fruit ripens properly in the rays of the sun and not in refrigerated lorries that have driven all the way from Morocco to Europe in the middle of the winter. Buying fruit out of season is pointless, wasteful and harmful to the environment. Show the mindless supermarket buyers that your wallet only comes out in the proper season, and support your local farmers’ markets and small greengrocers.

You can make whole strawberry jam with small strawberries, or if you buy big strawberries make sure that you boil them for longer, so that they break down to smaller pieces. Add a knob of butter to make the jam nice and clear.

Wash your jam jars in very hot water and soap, rinse, and place in a hot oven for about 20 minutes, to ensure they are completely bacteria free.

Ingredients to make just over 2 kg. of strawberry jam

1.6 kg. of fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

50 ml. of fresh lemon juice

1.5 kg of sugar

A little knob of butter

Method

Place the strawberries in a preserving pan with the lemon juice. Simmer gently, stirring, for 20-30 minutes. The fruit needs to be really soft.

Take the pan off the heat, add the sugar, stir well and then add the butter.

Bring to the mixture to the boil and boil rapidly for about 20 minutes. Keep stirring.

Take a teaspoon of the jam and place it on a saucer. With your finger push the jam and if it crinkles and feels quite stiffened it is ready to set. If the jam is ready remove any scum with a spoon.

Leave the jam to cool for about 20 minutes. Spoon the jam into very clean jam jars and cover. Remember to label the jam pots with a date