Toti's Homemade Strawberry Jam

Name: Toti's Homemade Strawberry Jam
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 2 kg fresh strawberries (about 4.4 lb); 1.5 kg granulated sugar (about 3.3 lb); Juice of 2 fresh lemons; Water, if needed

Fresh strawberries, sugar, and lemon — simple, delicious, far better than store-bought.

Serves

several jars

Time

1 hr

A simple homemade strawberry jam made with fresh strawberries, sugar, and fresh lemon juice. Easily adjustable for a chunky jam with whole berries or a smoother spread.

Instructions

Make the Jam

1
Wash strawberries thoroughly and remove all stems, leaves, and green tops.
2
If using large strawberries, cut into smaller pieces.
3
Place strawberries in a large pot. Add sugar and fresh lemon juice.
4
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
5
Skim the foam off the surface with a slotted spoon for a clearer, better-quality jam.
6
Continue cooking until the strawberries soften and release their juices.
7
For a smoother jam, blend with an immersion blender to your desired consistency.
8
Continue cooking until the jam reaches the thickness you like.

Can the Jam

1
While the jam is still very hot, carefully fill clean jars.
2
Wipe the rims clean and immediately screw on the lids tightly.
3
Turn the jars upside down and leave undisturbed until completely cooled.
4
Once cooled, turn the jars right-side up — sealed and ready for storage.

Toti’s Tips

✓Farm-picked strawberries hold much more natural water than store-bought ones, so they need longer on the stove before the jam thickens. Don't judge by time, judge by how the syrup runs off the spoon.
✓Fresh farm strawberries spoil fast, so make the jam the same day or the next. Soft berries break down into mush and you lose the whole pieces.
✓To keep the berries whole, cook the syrup first and add the strawberries after. Dropping them into sugar from the start pulls the water out of them and they fall apart.
✓More sugar gives more syrup and a sweeter jam; less sugar gives a thicker, fruit-forward jam. Sugar is also what preserves it, so a low-sugar batch keeps for less time.
✓Use fresh lemons rather than bottled juice. The acid helps the jam set and brightens the flavor, and bottled juice tastes flat next to it.
✓The strawberries deepen from bright to dark red as the jam is nearly ready, but trust the consistency too: cooled on a cold plate, it should hold its shape.
✓Fill the jars while the jam is still very hot and turn them upside down until cool. That's the old way of getting a seal without a water bath.