This spring and summer I ve been already making jam and keep giving them away and making more. I ve made some rhubarb and Strawberry-rose jam. This weekend I will make some redcurrant jelly. I just love making it!
For sure it is easier to buy a jar of strawberry jam than to make it yourself but there is definitely something to be said for the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction from eating your home made jam. And not at least the sustainable and eco-friendly wink. So give it a try, go to your local market and get some strawberries. I recommend you start small with just 500 gr of fruit and make 1 jar.
STEP 1: If you are going to make the one jar for your own use that week, don’t bother sterilizing your jar, just wash it well. If you wish to make a batch and give them as gifts or store them for a few months than you must sterilize the jars and lids. This is simple: wash your jars and lids with soap, rinse and rinse and rinse one more time with water. Submerge the jars in a large cook pot with water and boil, at boiling point let boil for 5 additional minutes. Remove the lids and jars with pair of tongs and leave to dry on a clean kitchen towel. Or pass them through the dishwasher cycle. You can buy jars at Dille & Kamille or look on Amazon or your local giant supermarket for example or maybe you saved one from a store-bought product.
STEP 2: It may sound overwhelming to make your own jam but trust me, it is very simple. 3 ingredients is all you need: strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Throw it all together and boil. I use a sugar thermometer ( buy here at Dille & Kamille just to make sure I reached 100 degree C. How much sugar you need is an easy calculation: per 100gr fruit, take 60 to 70gr of sugar (detailed recipe below). You can add some Agar-Agar ( vegan gelatin made from algae) when the fruit seems to ve a lot of juice.
STEP 3: Close the lid and turn them upside down to pull vacuum and turn them back around to cool. Store them in your fridge or cool,dark and dry place for a few months. Once opened you store them in the fridge up to a few weeks.
Be careful when you pour the jam into the jars, bets to let the jam cool slightly as not to explode the jars.
Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
- 500gr fresh strawberries makes 1 jar of 350 ml
- 1 lemon, juice
- per 100 gr strawberries, 70 gr extra fine caster sugar
Instructions
- Rinse the strawberries and remove the head, cut in half if the berries are large than 2 cm. Weight the fruit. Calculate the sugar you will need and weigh it. (example: 500gr fruit is 70gr X 5 in sugar)
- Bring fruit and sugar to boiling point, add lemon juice, stir continuously with wooden spoon as not to burn the jam. Use a thermometer to ensure you reached boiling point of 100 degrees C and boil for further 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use ladle to transfer to the jar(s), close the lid and let cool down before either serving or storing.
Notes
recipe on www.leeksandhighheels.com by Sandra Slawinski
Written and photographed by Sandra Slawinski without commercial deals. I used my jars from Dille & Kamille.
