Delicious Home Made Fruit Jam Recipe

Making of home made jam is very easy and it doesn't take long to cook at all. In this recipe strawberries are used. However, any kind of seasonal fruit can be used to make a perfect jam.

Home Made Jam - Essential Equipment

- Thick-based,large,wide,stainless-steel pan. Thick base prevents the jam from burning.
- Glass jars for storing. Jars wide screw top lids or jars with clip-down lids and rubber seals.

Home Made Jam - Sterilizing Jars

Wash every jars in hot, soapy water then place the jars over large baking tray and dry in the oven heated to 200C/400F for at least 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave jars inside.

Home Made Strawberry Jam - Ingredients

Makes about 3 litres of jam, about 12 jam jars(depends on a size of jars). Recipe is easily double or halved

2,5kg/5lb 5oz strawberries
2,5kg/5lb 5oz jam sugar (jam sugar contains pectin)
juice from 2 lemons, collect all the pips and secure them inside a tea-leaf trainer or piece of muslin
2 vanilla pods or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cooking Home Made Strawberry Jam

Place the strawberries and sugar in a very large bowl. Scrape the seeds from vanilla pods into strawberries and poke in scraped pods in too. Cover the bowl and allow to set over night. This helps the sugar to dissolve and prevents the fruit from overcooking. The next morning , give everything a good stir and set aside until everything is ready for cooking.
Before cooking starts, place small plate in the freezer. Tip the strawberries,vanilla pods, scraping out all the juices and any undissolved sugar, into preserving pan (or wide,large, heavy-based pan as mentioned above). Stir in lemon juice and add in secured bag with lemon pips.
Start the strawberries over a low heat until all the sugar is completely dissolved, then bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn of the heat and spoon a little hot syrupy jam onto the chilled plate. Once cool, push the jam with your finger. If it wrinkles, it's ready and has reached setting point. If it's too runny to wrinkle, return the pan to the heat and boil in about 3 minute stages, removing pan from the heat each time you do the plate check, until the jam wrinkles.
Skim off any excess scum and fish out scraped vanilla pods. Leave jam for 15 minutes before ladling into sterilised jars(this allows the fruit to settle so it doesn't sink to the bottom).

Home Made Strawberry Jam - Storing

Ladle the jam into sterilized jars and seal them with lids. Remember to label each jar once filled, including the date. Cover jars with squares or circles of nice fabric secured to jar with rubber band, if you are giving them away to friends. The jam will keep in a cool, dark place for at least six months. Refrigerate once opened.

Home Made Jam - Tips

You can make this jam with other type of berry or mix more flavours together.

Raspberry and Rosewater - 2,5kg/5lb 5oz raspberries, adding 3 tablespoons rosewater instead of lemon juice and pips.
Zingy Blackcurrant Jam - 2,5kg/5lb 5oz blackcurrants and add splash of cassis to make it special.
Mixed Summer Berries - 2,5kg/5lb/5oz strawberries,raspberries,redcurrants,blackcurrants and blackberries.