Strawberry Refrigerator Jam

The lazy jammer strikes again; why can it when you can fridge or freeze it?

Jamberries are back at the farmer’s market: those slightly mushy berries that can’t be sold in a regular box of berries. They are carefully sorted out and put in 5 Ib bags for jam enthusiasts like me. And a lot of other people, apparently. We waited in line for 30 minutes for our bag of slightly squishy berries. It was worth it because after simmering them on the stove all morning, filling the entire house with the scent of strawberries, we now have six jars of jam. One to eat and five to freeze. It should last us for approximately one month, slathered on crumpets and toast, dolloped on yogurt and oatmeal. Probably would be great on vanilla ice cream and scones. Also, please note that despite being from the midwest, I am not a canner. I don’t have the time and attention span. This is strictly a refrigerator jam.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds strawberries, hulled and cut in half if large
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Combine strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed pan and bring to a simmer.

2. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning and using a potato masher to break up berries as they soften.

3. Let jam cool, place into jars and store in the fridge for a few weeks or the freezer indefinitely.

Note

You can used the chilled spoon test to check for doneness: place a metal spoon in the freezer while the berries cook and then dip chilled spoon into jam, allowing jam to run off. If the jam is done, it should fall off the spoon in one thickened clump. If runny, you can continue simmering before retesting. I usually forget to chill a spoon and so I often just go by sight and taste, making sure the jam has a nice thick consistency.