Strawberry Jam

Jams are possibly the most underrated way to consume fruits – yet it can also be the most delicious. Making jam demands patience and a bit of discipline but is in itself an incredibly easy process. It's also much cheaper to make jam than to buy it and it's guaranteed to be a success with your friends or your co-workers, or yourself. This recipe uses half as much sugar as many other, which allows the true tanginess of the strawberries to shine.

Ingredients

Makes ~10 12oz jars

10 pounds of fresh strawberries ~ 1 flat
6 cups white granulated sugar
4 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 1.75-oz packs of pectin

… And don’t forget the jars themselves.

Directions

The first step is to sanitize the jars. Fill a large dutch oven with water and dip the jars in it – they should be full of water all the way to the rim. Put the lids in between the jars and bring to a boiling point, then keep boiling for abother 10 minutes. Using a jar lifter, take the jars out of the water and keep them in the freezer along with the lids.

Wash the strawberries and cut the sepals from each one. Crush the strawberries but prefer avoiding a blender – use the flat section of a large knife or trap them in between two cutting boards. Slice and dice the crushed strawberries and put in a dutch oven.

Bring the strawberry mix to a boiling point under low to medium heat, then let simmer for 10 minutes – repeat for at least 2 hours or until the jam reaches a consistency such that it can no longer be easily stirred. Make sure to stir the bottom of the pot to make sure the jam doesn’t stick or burn. Incorporate the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar 30 minutes after the beginning. After an hour, progressively add the sugar, then the pectin.

Take the jars and lids out of the freezer. Using a (sanitized) funnel and a laddle, fill in each of the jars almost all the way up to the lid. Keep the full jars in the fridge overnight, then move the ones you want to keep longer to the freezer.