Strawberry Jam

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled
• 4 cups / 800 grams white sugar (or 2.5 cups / 500 grams fruit sugar)
• ¼ cup lemon juice

To Prepare

1. Crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry
   1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F, wash 4 ½ pint jars and place in oven
   2. Wash lids and rings, cover with water in a saucepan, and simmer (don't boil)
   3. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or stockpot, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice; stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved
   4. Increase heat to high in increments, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C).
   5. Transfer to hot sterile jars (leaving ¼ to ½ inch headspace) and screw on lids (just until there's resistance; not too tightly). Make sure that you don't touch the inside of the jar or lid, otherwise mold will form while stored.
   6. If you wish to process in a water bath (to be absolutely certain that the lids seal), place jars in stockpot, cover with water, and boil for 10 minutes
   7. Cool for 6-8 hours on a wire rack, temporarily remove rings to dry them, then store. Jam should be set in 48 hours.

Variations

• Add ¼ pound / 115 grams of dried figs, cut into small pieces, in step 4
• Add shredded lemon zest along with lemon juice