I am just about to head off in to my garden and pick all the strawberries and make some jam. Last year was the first time I have EVER made any sort of jam - it was addictive, once we stared eating it we could not stop.
This is the recipe I use:
To prepare the jam, always simmer the fruit and sugar really slowly. This process extracts the fruit's natural pectin. Once the sugar has dissolved, boil the mixture rapidly for about 10 minutes.
To check and see if it's ready or not, place a spoonful of jam on a saucer and into the fridge for a minute or two. Touch it with your finger and if it "
wrinkles"
, it's ready. If not, boil it for another 5 or 10 minutes and then check again.
* 500 grams of small strawberries, hulled and washed
* 350 grams of castor sugar
* Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
* 1 sterilized jam jar
Preparation:
1. Place the strawberries, lemon juice, zest and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat over low heat and simmer gently until the sugar dissolves.
2. In a separate saucepan, boil the jam jar for 10 minutes. Once sterilized, remove from heat and dry thoroughly.
3. Turn the heat up to medium-high and boil the mixture rapidly for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Do the wrinkle test. If jam is ready then remove the saucepan from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes or until the edges of the jam sets slightly. Pour jam into the warm jam jar and then let it cool completely before sealing.
5. If the jam doesn't wrinkle the first time, keep boiling it for another 5 to 10 minutes and then test again.