Strawberry Jam

Here it is, cold and rainy out, rhubarb is just leafing out, and I'm talking about strawberries? Right about now is the toughest time for canning, in my opinion. What I’m usually doing now, canning-wise, is tidying up my cupboards for next year’s onslaught and figuring out what was a success and what wasn’t. Another big task for now is gauging the freezer and what it still contains, and just like a nice cup of yogurt, inevitably there is fruit on the bottom. Not a bad thing!

The other day, I pulled out a gorgeous quart bag of strawberries from the freezer that I had neglected to use (or was it hoarding?). Initially I intended them to be smoothie additions. I had frozen them on a tray and popped them in a Ziploc. I transferred them in the fridge to defrost and the next morning they were soaking in a pint of their own juices.

The first two cups I cooked with a cup of sugar and they turned into strawberry preserves: whole strawberries, soft but with give, soaked in a bright red strawberry syrup. The second two cups I made this jam. It was so easy and so good, and made a little over a pint that I stowed in the fridge, enough to tide me over until strawberry season. It's a soft basic jam, more like a sauce, and is perfect over yogurt, buttermilk pancakes, on a spoon...

2 cups of defrosted strawberries and their juices

1 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Pulse the strawberries in the food processor so they are chunky. Put them in a pot, add sugar and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let them foam up in the pot. This is a freestyle jam, if you will, and you're not looking for anything but a texture that pleases you. Forget about a temperature, or a gel stage: look for high bubbles that won't stop, and a glossy sheen from the jam when it runs off the spoon. 

This recipe is just for a fridge batch, not to be canned as the sugar proportions are low. These fridge jams are great for playing with combinations, like a little bit of fiery punch from a hot pepper or a bit of vanilla, some orange zest or a splash of amaretto. Then you'll know what to do with the ten pounds you pick this summer.

What is your favorite strawberry jam recipe? Leave a comment and let me know about it!

Some links of strawberry goodness:

Strawberry Chipotle Preserves from Local Kitchen

Tellecheri Strawberry from Tigress in a Jam

Strawberry Rhubarb Orange Jam from Hitchhiking to Heaven

Strawberry Wine Jam from Vanilla Garlic