Strawberry Jam

Ingredients

1. 1.4 kg strawberries (3 to 3.5 punnets weighing 454g each).
2. 1 box Sure Jell For Less Or No Sugar Needed Recipes fruit pectin. 1 x lemon (juiced) could be a substitute.
3. 950g sugar.
4. 0.5 tsp butter.
5. Experimented: 250g strawberries, 15 teaspoons sugar, 1/3 box of Sure Jell...makes 1.5 bottles of jam.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 100 deg C.
2. Wash eight 250ml jars and metal lids with detergent, rinse thoroughly with warm water.
3. Run boiling water over a clean metal rack, set it over a shallow metal baking dish large enough to hold the bottles and lids. Invert the bottles and lids over the rack and leave in heated oven to dry out while you make the jam.
4. Throw out bruised or mouldy strawberries. Rinse and drain the rest. Using a sharp knife, remove the green, leafy tops and cut the larger berries in half. Leave the smallest ones whole.
5. Mash half to two-thirds of the fruit using a potato masher or a metal pastry blender. Leave the rest whole or in pieces, for a chunkier jam. Make sure you have 1.4kg of fruit. Set aside.
6. Pour the pectin into a small bowl, add 500g of sugar and stir to mix. Add to the fruit and mix well.
7. Pour fruit and pectin mixture into a large stainless steel pot, add the butter and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. The mixture is at a rolling boil when the fruit does not stop bubbling even when you stir it.
8. Add the remaining sugar quickly, stir well. Bring mixture back to a rolling boil and continue boiling for 1 minute, sitrring constantly.
9. Remove pot from heat. Take the jars out of the oven and ladle the jam into them, up to about 0.5cm off the top.
10. Wipe off any jam from the rims of the bottles. Screw on the lids. Let cool completely and refrigerate. The jam wil keep for about 3 weeks. It is best served with clotted cream.