Glut of delicious Strawbs?

Try this wonderful soft jam for the extras

Ingredients:

1kg home grown Strawberries

750g Sugar with 1 sachet of Tate and Lyle pectin * – or simply use Jam sugar

1 lge lemon, juice of

Method:

Clean, hull and drain strawbs, chop large ones in half. Place in a large bowl and cover with sugar and pectin, adding the juice at the same time. Stir to mix. Cover and leave to sit for on hour or so. This allows the strawbs to start releasing their juices.

Place strawbs and sugar in a large saucepan on a low/medium heat and slowly dissolve the sugar. Stir gently so as not to damage fruit too much but also to stop sugar sticking to base of pan and burning. Once the sugar is dissolved turn up the heat and bring the mix to the boil . Rolling boil for 5 mins. I cook currently on an electric hob which is slower to change temp so I boiled for 7 mins.

Meanwhile place clean jars on an oven pan and warm them for a few mins in the oven at a low temp. This made about 6 small jars (80z/227ml)

Once the boiling mix is done it will likely be bubbly on top so per ‘Pam the Jam’ of River Cottage’s tip, add a knob of butter to the jammy mix and stir through gently. The bubbly ‘scum’ will disappear.

Remove jars from oven, ladle jam into jars, if you like you can place a wax disc on the jam surface or, as I do, simply whack on the (clean) lid and tighten it up ASAP. I usually wipe of any spilled jam once they have cooled enough to handle without burning my fingers!

This is an aromatic, soft, runny jam that’s good for toast and scones as well as spooning into yoghurt or over ice cream. Stocks  likely won’t survive the summer.

Strawberry Jam Making

* Strawberries have the least pectin of most jammy fruit so it really does need the pectin in this recipe to set at all.