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Exquisite Strawberry Jam

Source of Recipe


Jan Roberts-Dominguez






List of Ingredients



• 4 heaping cups washed and hulled strawberries (see Note)
  
• 3-1/2 cups sugar
  
• 1/3 cup strained fresh lemon juice
  
• 1 tsp butter
  






Instructions



1. Coarsely chop the berries by placing small batches of them into the workbowl of a food processor and hitting the "pulse" button several times (you can also do this by hand, of course, but it goes pretty slow). You should have 3-1/2 cups of coarsely chopped berries.
   
   
2. In a large bowl, combine the berries with the sugar and lemon juice. Gently stir the mixture using a rubber spatula until the sugar is evenly distributed and the juices have begun to flow; let the mixture stand, stirring gently every 20 minutes or so, for at least 1 hour but no longer than 2 hours.
   
   
3. Wash four half-pint jars. Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs.
   
   
4. Scrape the mixture into a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan. Add the 1 teaspoon of butter (this controls the production of foam). Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a straight-ended wooden or nylon spatula. Adjust the heat downward to keep it from boiling over, and boil for 7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the burner and let the jam settle for about 20 seconds; if any foam remains, skim it off. Ladle hot preserves into one hot jar at a time, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars. At this point, the jam may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months or longer without the quality suffering.
   
   - OR -
   
   
5. For long-term storage at room temperature, you will need to process the jars in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes. (At 1,000 to 3,000 feet, process for 15 minutes; 3,000 to 6,000 feet, for 20 minutes; above 6,000 feet, for 25 minutes.) Using a jar lifter, remove the processed jars from the boiling water and let cool on the counter, undisturbed, overnight.
   
   Makes 4 half-pints.
   
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   ♦ Note:
   
   To ensure a high pectin content, about 1/4 of the berries should be slightly underripe.