Easy strawberry jam

Easy strawberry jam

Once you start making jam at home, you will never want to eat the store bought stuff. Homemade jam has that fresh fruity taste!!! Believe me, making jam is easy. It becomes even easier if you are using frozen fruit. I have never done canning. So, I make jam in small quantities and refrigerate it. Strawberry jam is our favourite. Here, frozen strawberry is cheaper than fresh.

There is no hard and fast rule in jam making as long as you are not bothered too much about the consistency. We like our jam somewhat soft set. Usually I take approximately one part sugar to 2 parts fruit by volume i.e. 1 cup sugar for 2 cups fruit. 

Take the washed strawberries in a large soup pot. Take the biggest pot you have. A heavy stainless steel pot is the best. Once the jam starts boiling, it will splutter fiercely! A big pot saves a lot of cleaning. Have a long handled wooden spoon also handy. Bring strawberries to a boil over medium high heat mashing up lightly with a potato masher. Once this starts boiling, add sugar and lemon juice. Bring back to boil and add the butter. Keep boiling over medium high heat stirring often. 

After 15 minutes, start checking the consistency. I wear my oven mitten to avoid the spluttering, super hot jam. Pour a little jam onto a cold plate. Tilt the plate slowly. If the jam is thick and not runny, it is done. You can also try drawing a line through the jam in the plate with your finger. If the line remains clear, the jam is set. Bottle the jam. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate. Mine has remained fresh for 4-5 weeks. Actually it never got a chance to get spoilt!!!!