Small-Batch Strawberry Jam
Strawberries and sugar reduced on the stovetop to a real set — no pectin packet, no water bath, just a cold plate to tell you when to stop.
- Serves
- 24
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min (plus 1 hr macerating)
- Written
Method
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Toss the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl, mashing about a third of the berries against the side to release their juice.
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Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, until the sugar has mostly dissolved into a thin, pink syrup.
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Set a small plate in the freezer.
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Pour the strawberries and their liquid into a wide, heavy pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam.
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Cook at a steady boil, stirring more often as it thickens, until the fruit has broken down and the bubbles have gone slow and heavy, 20 to 25 minutes.
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Drop a spoonful onto the frozen plate and drag a finger through it — if the trail holds its edge instead of flooding back in, it’s set; if not, boil another few minutes and test again.
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Ladle into clean jars while still hot, leaving a half-inch of headspace, and let cool uncovered on the counter before sealing.
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Refrigerate once cool.
Notes
The set here comes from reduction and the lemon juice’s acid, not added pectin, so don’t rush the boil — a thin jam just means it needed more time, not more sugar. The cold-plate test is more reliable than the clock; strawberries vary enough in natural pectin that two batches rarely hit the set point at the same minute.
It keeps a month in the fridge unprocessed, or up to a year if you process the jars in a water bath. Good on a warm biscuit, or swirled into pancake batter just before it hits the griddle.