Strawberry Jam

My sister gave me two pounds of hulled strawberries.  What was I going to do with them?  I thought the best idea was to make some strawberry jam.  It came out delicious. After reading the reviews online, some said it was too sweet.  I didn't agree.  Jam is supposed to be sweet.  I will definitely make it again, maybe with other kind of fruit.  The best thing about it is that there is no pectin in it.

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled

¼ cup lemon juice

4 cups white sugar

Directions:

1.   In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berries.

2.   In a heavy bottomed saucepan or stock pot, mix together the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice.

3.   Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

4.   Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.  Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C).  At least ten minutes at a full, rolling boil.

5.   Transfer to hot, sterile jars, leaving ¼ to ½ inch headspace, and seal.  Process in a water bath (put jars into boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes.

6.   If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don’t bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

7.   To test for Jelling: Place 3 plats in a freezer, after about 10 minutes of boiling, place a teaspoon of the liquid of the jam onto a cold plate.  Return to freezer for a minute.  Run your finger through the jam on the pate.  If it does not run back together (if you can make a line through it with your finger) it’s ready to be canned.

8.   If not, then continue boiling for another 5 minutes and try the test again.

9.   After putting the jam mixture into the sanitized jars, put the lids on right away and then turn the jars upside down for 10 minutes and then turn them back over.  This will create a seal on the jar.

10. The jam will not look like jam/jelly but more like thick syrup at first.  It will need to set for about 48 hours before you will know that you have done this process correctly.

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook