Homemade strawberry jam

Homemade strawberry jam

I don’t know about you, but I get such a sense of achievement from making my own jams and preserves. I’ve made loads over the years, and even shared some of them on my blog:

• Tangy fruit chutney
• Homemade orange curd
• Thai sweet chilli sauce
• Baked beans

They are all pretty simple to make, but the one I’m sharing today is the easiest by far. You only need 3 ingredients, and within half-an-hour you have yourself a jar of the tastiest homemade strawberry jam, crammed with fruit, that will leave you licking your fingers and coming back for more.

It’s thick and fruity – nothing like the runny syrup that sometimes gets passed off as jam in the supermarkets. This is the real deal. Just look at the texture of the jam piled on the scone!!!

How to make strawberry jam at home

You can get the complete recipe on the printable recipe card below.

To make the strawberry jam you will need equal quantities of strawberries and sugar, and a few tablespoons of lemon juice – that’s all.

There is no need to add any pectin to this jam. The lemon juice helps the jam to set, along with a longer boiling period.

This recipe calls for granulated sugar. If you can get jam sugar (which is specially made for making jam, and does contain pectin) then you can reduce the boiling time to 10 minutes.

• Wash and hull the strawberries and chop them into smallish pieces.
• Weigh them and measure out the same amount of sugar.
• My chopped strawberries weighed 600g and made sufficient jam to fill a 1 pint jar (that’s 2 cups, or 16 fluid ounces or 500 ml depending where in the world you live).

• Place the strawberries and sugar along with the lemon juice into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring all the time, until the sugar has melted.
• Increase the heat and bring to a rolling boil.
• Allow to boil for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not cover with a lid as this may cause the jam to boil up and overflow.

Test to see if the jam is thick enough

• While the jam is boiling, place a small plate in the freezer to chill.
• After 25 minutes remove the plate from the freezer and spoon a small amount of jam onto the cold plate.
• Let it cool and then run your finger through the jam. The jam will still be runny, but it should hold its shape and not flow back together when you run your finger through it. Don’t put your finger into the hot jam – give it time to cool down first.
• If the jam seems too runny, let it boil for another few minutes and test again.
• Note that this jam will thicken further once it has cooled down completely.
• Skim any residue from the top of the jam, then pour into a sterilised jar (see below for instructions on sterilising jars) and cover with a lid.
• You can store this jam,unopened, in your pantry for up to 6 months, but once opened you should store it in the refrigerator.

How can I use homemade strawberry jam?

There are loads of ways you can serve this jam. Here are a few of them:

• Spread it on toast for breakfast.
• Layer it in a Victoria sponge cake.
• Spoon it over homemade waffles.
• Liven up a rice pudding with a spoonful of strawberry jam
• Mix with some plain yoghurt for an instant dessert
• Make jam tarts, or jam doughnuts
• And of course, don’t forget to put some on your homemade scones with a dollop of cream!

What’s your favourite way of using strawberry jam – let me know in the comments below.

How to sterilise jars

To sterilise jars in the oven:

• Wash the jars and the lids in hot soapy water, rinse, but do not dry them.
• Stand them upside down on a baking tray while they’re still wet.
• Place the tray of clean, wet jars and lids in to a preheated oven at 180ºC / 350ºF for 15 mins.

To sterilise jars in the microwave:

• Wash the jars and the lids in hot soapy water, rinse, but do not dry them.
• Place them in the microwave whilst still wet.
• Microwave on full power for 2 minutes
• If the lids are made of metal DO NOT MICROWAVE.  Instead, place the lids in a pot of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.