Simple Strawberry Jam

I went to the Farmers Market downtown in Jacksonville and I had my taste buds set on large juicy Georgia or South Carolina peaches.  It was not to be:  the weather messed up that harvest.  Oh, well. the California strawberries are still inexpensive and plentiful and we need some for eating and some for jam to see us through with sweetness for a while.

For a very basic and simple strawberry jam recipe, I used 2 lbs of strawberries and 2 cups of sugar.

Wash, hull, cut and dice, and/or mash the berries.  The berries and sugar was brought to a roiling boil in my large enameled pot while stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking//burning. I  turned down the heat and let the mixture simmer for about an hour.

Forget simple and let's jazz it up some by adding a handful of cherries that are also in season.  I also added a bit of lemon for added pectin and I added a few full leaves of minced sweet basil from my herb garden.

Just before I removed the pot from the heat, I added a little bit of Southern Comfort to the jam.  Hmm!  Pretty good jam!

This time, I poured the jam into a large bowl and covered with a lid.  I let it cool down and sit on the drainboard for several hours to let the strawberries/fruit soak up the juice.  I got this idea from the PBS program, The Farmer and The Chef with Vivian Howard whose mother made strawberry jam this way and it made sense to me.

Finally, I ladled the jam into a couple of jars and sealed them with hot wax.

Thank you for visiting my blog and continue to enjoy the hot summer.