This amazingly fresh strawberry jam is super simple to make. All it takes are 3 ingredients and about 20 minutes of your time!
For weeks, Addie had been begging to go strawberry picking. I went many, many years ago – probably. before she was born. Our weekends have been pretty busy so we did not have the time to go to the berry patch at all.
My nephew had a birthday party over Memorial Day weekend, and we got back home at a decent time on Memorial Day. I called two berry farms to see if they were open on the holiday, and luckily, one of them was (sadly, it was the one that was farther from our house). My husband was dealing with some seasonal allergies at the time, so we made this a little girls’ trip.
We got lucky because it had just rained and it kept the crowds away. Thankfully, there was a slight wind so it wasn’t too warm when we got to the farm. There were only a handful of other families in the berry patch with us, so we never ran into anybody while we were picking.
Addie and I picked a total of 4 pounds of strawberries. We ate a bunch when we got home, and I vowed to finally try making strawberry jam. I used about 2 pounds of the berries and saved the rest for another dessert. Because I don’t own any canning supplies, I did not sterilize the jars and just placed my jam in the refrigerator for us to consume right away.
At some point, I may invest in canning accessories, but I’m not quite at that stage yet. For now, we will use the jam to add to our breakfasts and to spread on top of ice cream. Hooray for strawberries!
Husband’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Fresh strawberry jam
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries rinsed and hulled
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- If you are going to can the jam, make sure you sterilize your jars and set them aside before making the jam (or while it is cooking). If you are going to use your jam right away, you can skip the jar sterilization step.
- In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the strawberries. Mash them really well with a fork. Add the sugar and lemon juice.
- Turn the heat to medium until the sugar melts.
- Allow the mixture to boil and stir constantly until the jam starts to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.
- Take the mixture off the stove to cool slightly and to set. Transfer the jam into your prepared canning jar(s). Make sure you leave about ¼ inch of space at the top.
- If canning, add the tops and screw them on tightly. Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill it halfway with water. Bring the water to a boil and lower jars about 2 inches apart into the boiling water using some tongs. Add more boiling water to the pot and make sure you cover the jars by at least 1 inch of water. Bring everything to a rolling boil, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes. Using tongs, remove the jars from the stockpot and let rest on a heatproof surface for 12 to 24 hours. Store in a cool, dark area.
- If you are not canning, allow the jam to cool slightly before placing in the refrigerator to cool completely. Use within a few days.