Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam

This is my grandmother's recipe for strawberry jam.  I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while now.  (BTW this is why some photos are new and some are old!)  Anyway, my grandparents used to own a fruit farm in Pennsylvania.  I remember picking strawberries at that farm when I was young and I remember the smell of the kitchen when my grandmother used to make this jam.  This recipe is very simple and only needs two ingredients: strawberries and sugar (along with a little bit of time and love!).  It's not a traditional firm jam, but a softer, almost runny consistency.  Which makes it perfect for topping yogurt, or even better, ice cream!  My kids love it though for sandwiches: cream cheese and jam for my daughter and just jam and bread for my son.  My kids and I went out picking strawberries yesterday at a local farm.  When we finished, the owner/farmer asked us what we had planned for all of the strawberries, my son replied "Jam!".   So here we go:

  Just wash, hull and chop the strawberries into a measuring cup.  

 Add an equal amount of sugar to strawberries So for 2 cups of strawberries: 2 cups sugar.  Pretty easy, huh?  Lightly shake pan to coat with sugar.  Make sure you use a large, heavy pot for this.  Later when it cooks it will bubble up a bit.

 Cover allow to sit 8 hours, or overnight at room temperature.  I really think this is the key step.  The sugar will dissolve and liquefy.  At this point you can leave the strawberries as they are for a chunkier jam, or mash up with a potato masher.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Stir gently to make sure all the sugar has dissolved.  When the mixture begins to boil, cook for about 10 minutes.  You can skim the bubbles that come to the surface if you would like a clear jam.  I don't (as you can see from the picture below).  I actually really like that bubbly part when it hardens (kinda like strawberry jell-o).  I don't really use a thermometer for this either, but the jam will need to get to about 221 F (I checked it today again to be sure).  You can stir the mixture occasionally as the strawberries want to stick to the bottom of the pot and scorch (not good for jam).  When it's done just ladle into canning jars and seal.  I don't usually "put up" this jam.  It never really lasts long in my fridge anyway.  The recipe will make slightly more jam than the amount of strawberries you start with.  So, today, I started with 2 cups of strawberries and ended up with 2 1/2 cups of jam.  Enjoy!