Makes 3 half-pint jars
5 heaping cups fresh, firm strawberries, washed, hulled, and
halved
2 cups sugar
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Place the berries and sugar in a large bowl. Stir until the
berries are coated in sugar.
Cover and let stand at room
temperature overnight. Transfer the berries and any juices to a large heavy pot
or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until
sugar is dissolved. Stir in the lemon juice.
Return to a rapid boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Remove from the heat and let stand for 24 hours.
Bring berries to a full boil over high heat and boil rapidly for 5
minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and perform a gel test (see page 238). If the
gel stage has not been reached, return to the heat and cook for a few
additional minutes, repeating until the gel stage has been reached. Once the
mixture has gelled, skim off any foam that may have developed. Remove from
heat.
Ladle the jam into sterilized jars to within ¼ inch of the rim
(headspace), seal, and process for 10 minutes.
Variation: If you liked the
combination of flavors in Strawberries in Balsamic with Black Pepper,
translate it to your strawberry jam by reducing the amount of lemon juice to 4
tablespoons and adding 4 tablespoons of good-quality balsamic vinegar. Add pepper
to taste just before ladling into jars, if desired.
“There are a few goals to reach for when making strawberry
preserves. One is to keep the brilliant red color of truly ripe and wonderful
strawberries.
Another is to
maintain the genuine flavor. Ultimately it’s nice to see big pieces of fruit in
any jam. This pectin-free method delivers those results in a recipe that is
prepared over 24 hours, which seems like a long time, but the actual time spent
over the stove is minimal” 
