Strawberry Jam

I once made strawberry jam to give away to my colleagues and friends at work for Christmas a few years back. While they were very nice and appreciative that I made something for them, I thought they probably chuck it down the bin when I wasn't around.

Personally, I used my jam to make strawberry lemonade. Reason being it was very gooey/ watery - unlike traditional jam which is "solid". Also, I'm a "tarty" freak - as usual, i added much more lemon juice than called for in the recipe ...

Then, yesterday someone asked me for the recipe. Apparently his daughter liked it a lot! Wow! I feel so GOOD!

Anyway, for "prosperity's sake", I'll post the recipe here. I adapted it from my breadmaker manual, which had a jam making mode. So, if you have one like mine, just throw in all the listed ingredients and leave it do the work.

Else, just do it the manual way!

Recipe for Strawberry Jam/ Preserve

900g fresh strawberries
400g to 500g sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
Lemon Juice – 1 tablespoon to 1 whole lemon (tartness based on personal preferences)

Method
1. Remove stems and hull the strawberries. Lightly crush 1/3 of the strawberries. Process the rest in a blender using pulse method or mash them (a potato masher comes in handy).
2. Place in large, heavy stainless steel or enameled pan over moderate heat. If using non-stick Teflon pan, clean thoroughly to ensure no residual oil. The presence of residual oil will spoil the taste of the jam. Heavy pans ensure the heat is evenly distributed over the base of the pan.
3. Let it boil and then add sugar. Stir and add lemon juice.
4. Turn flames to low heat and stir constantly till mixture thickens (approximately 30 minutes). Heat further if you prefer thicken constituency.
5. Let boil for 30 seconds.
6. Remove jam from heat and leave undisturbed for 10 minutes.
7. Pour into containers and let it cool.
Cover and Refrigerate.

IMPORTANT TIP: Choose strawberries which is firm and just ripe. Ripening reduces the pectin content of the fruit, which adversely affects setting of the jams. Wash the fruit as little as possible. If washing is necessary, drain thoroughly. Remove any damaged or mouldy fruit as some mould spores can survive the cooking

Tip: I used glass cannisters bought from ikea to store it. Clean and pour boiling water to "sterilize them". Else, I fill the cannisters1/3 full with water and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Drain well and air dry and use immediately. Daiso has prettier ones at $2 each.