Make this no fuss 3-ingredient homemade strawberry jam with local strawberries this summer and you’ll be enjoying it on toast, scones and ice cream long after.
Homemade strawberry jam brings back lots of memories for me. Every year growing up, for as long as I can remember, my mother went to the market during strawberry season in Montreal and brought home a “flat” of strawberries – I can’t remember if that was 12 or 24 boxes. She called on my sisters and me to help hull the berries and then proceeded to make our annual batch of strawberry jam with heady aromas filling the house. She made it very loose, almost saucy – delicious! I’ve since learned that you can make it thicker if you want just by cooking it a bit longer.
The things I love about this jam, other than its yummy taste, are that you only need 3 ingredients, there is no pectin involved and no fancy processing of the jars. We do, however, keep the jam in the fridge. Many hopeful jam makers are afraid of the whole [tedious] sterilizing process. If you are not planning to make a whole pantry full of jam, you can skip all the complexities and just run your jars through the dishwasher or place them on a clean cookie sheet and heat them in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes. Simple. The entire homemade strawberry jam from start to finish takes about 40 minutes (not including the dishwasher cycle).
So enjoy this simple summerlicious treat for breakfast or on ice cream for dessert (my husband’s fave). Oh, and don’t forget this jam makes a fabulous gift.
Tailor To Your Taste
- It’s easy to vary the sweetness and tartness by adding more or less sugar and lemon.
Make Ahead Homemade Strawberry Jam
- Make ahead jam goes without saying. The jam, once opened, will keep in the fridge a couple of months (but honestly, it won’t last that long!)
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- 3 ingredients
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- Squish strawberries, sugar and lemon together
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- Boil until thickened
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- Cool and pour into jars
Homemade Strawberry Jam (no pectin) Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups strawberries, washed, stems cut off
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- STERILIZE 1-2 JARS: Run your jars through the dishwasher. Or, pour boiling water into the jars and covers and set them on a clean tea towel to dry.
- PREPARE THE MIXTURE TO COOK: Place strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a medium-large pot (mixture should only take up about 1/3 of pot). Squish the mixture with a potato masher or your hands. (I use my hands). It's ok to leave some chunks of strawberries.
- MAKE THE JAM: Heat to medium high. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat to about medium (6 on my dial) and boil on a medium rolling boil for 15-22 minutes (depending on how loose or thick you like your jam), stirring occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom. The amount of time will depend on speed of boil and size of pot. Note 1. Taste and add a bit more lemon juice if you like.
- STORE JAM: Pour jam into jar(s). Cool, then cover tightly and keep in the fridge.
Notes
- HOW TO TELL JAM IS DONE: If you have a candy/fry thermometer, look for a temperature of 210-220F. If you don't, scoop up some jam with a spoon and let it drip off the spoon. If it drips off very quickly, cook some more. If it drips slowly and coats the spoon, it's done.
Here are two other homemade jams and sauces you might like:
Nothing like the smell of our mothers strawberry jam cooking on the stove or the huge treat of hiring those full strawberries in the jam on your toasted buttered Montreal bagel. Yeah ma and summer!!
So true!
F0ND MEMORIES!