My Mum's Strawberry Jam

I just love using my Granny's old brass jam pan when I make jams and chutneys - there is nothing quite like it! It's over 100 years old and will have seen some concoctions in it's time. Here's my favourite recipe for Strawberry Jam.

Ingredients

2lbs strawberries - slightly underripe is fine
1 1/2lbs preserving sugar
Juice of 2 large lemons
Knob of butter
(Liquid pectin if you feel the need)

Method

• Wipe and hull strawberries using the Core 'n More.
• Cut the strawberries on the Cutting Board using the Utility Knife and layer with sugar in jam pan.
• Squeeze juice using the Citrus Press and add lemon juice.
• Cover with tea towel and leave overnight so sugar draws the juice from the fruit and dissolves.
• Next day, slowly heat until sugar fully dissolves.
• Add a knob of butter as this will disperse some of the scum.
• Bring to rolling boil for 5 - 10 minutes or until, when tested on a cold saucer, the jam wrinkles.
• Skim off the scum if necessary.
• If you need to add additional pectin, remove from heat for a few minutes and stir in prescribed quantity.
• Let stand for 15 minutes so the fruit doesn't sink when you bottle it.
• Whilst the jam is standing, heat the clean jars in the oven to sterilise them.
• Ladle the hot jam into the hot jars. (Using a jam funnel makes transferring the hot jam safer and cleaner!)
• Top the jam with a waxed disc (you can dip it in brandy first if you feel the need - personally I would drink the brandy and just use the wax disc, but each to their own!!!)
• Put the lid on and leave to cool - the shelf life is 2 years but I bet it doesn't stay there that long.....