STRAWBERRY JAM

By Grandmax4

Ingredients

• 3 lb. Ripe Strawberries (4 1/2 Pints) -- rinsed and hulled
• 4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• Special equipment: 4 half-pint canning jars with lids

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Sterilize canning jars and lids.

Crush strawberries lightly with a potato masher in a 7- to 9-qt. heavy nonreactive pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

Add sugar and lemon juice and simmer, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Bring to a full boil and cook, stirring frequently (be careful not to let bottom scorch) and skimming off any foam. It's done when it becomes slightly thickened and a teaspoon of jam begins to gel when dropped on a chilled plate, after 10 to 20 minutes of boiling. Ladle hot jam into jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of top. Wipe rims with a dampened cloth and seal with lids.

Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot. Add enough hot water to cover jars by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Boil jars, covered, 15 minutes, and transfer with tongs to a rack. Cool completely and store in a cool, dark place.