Sweet and Simple: A Homemade Recipe for Strawberry Jam

A wonderful way to use up extra fruit and to keep the flavors of summertime going long into the winter.

Although my Grandmother used to make her own jam all the time when I was younger, I never really got involved in the process. It wasn't until a few years ago when a neighbor gifted me bags and bags of plums from her garden that I had to get inventive!

I called my Grandmother and she said "it's easy Teresa!". For every kilo of fruit (without seeds or stones) you need 1/2 a kilo of white sugar, and let it cook for around 2 hours.

Although many people add artificial pectin to make their jam thicker in a shorter time, I find that adding the juice of 1 lemon (or a peeled apple cut into pieces) works just as well because that allows the jam to develop its own pectin naturally. Below I have also reduced the sugar somewhat to make it healthier but try experimenting with different batches to find the right sweetness for you!

Of course this recipe works just as well for any fruit (don't forget to remove the seeds and stones!) but my favorites are always strawberry and raspberry.

Ingredients

It's a very short list!

• 1 kilogram of fresh red strawberries, cut in pieces;

• 300 grams sugar (brown or white)

• Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Thoroughly wash and prepare your fruit, being careful to remove all seeds or stones (of course for strawberries the tiny seeds on the skin can stay!);

2. Put everything in a tall pot, possibly a stainless steel one, put on the stove at low heat until the sugar starts melting;

3. Once the sugar has mostly melted, turn the heat to medium-high;

4. Let everything boil for about 15 minutes, stirring once in while.

5. Take the pot out of the burner and blend the fruit with an immersion blender.

6. Put the pot back on the stove and let the jam boil for other 15 minutes.

7. Take the pot off the stove & pour the jam into a glass jar, close the lead and let it cool down. When it’s cold, put in the fridge. Note: if you like a thick jam, mix all the ingredients in the pot, and let it sit in the fridge for 12 hours, then start cooking the mix.

Your jam will last around 2 weeks stored in the fridge, use it on hot buttered toast or in your PBJ sandwiches, there is nothing better than home-made jam!