Serves: 16
• 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Wash two 2-cup canning jars or other jars with tight-fitting lids very well, and allow to dry completely.
• Combine the strawberries and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved and the berries are starting to break down. Add the lemon juice, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook at a gentle simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture looks like loose jam and has reached a temperature of 220 degrees Fahrenheit, measured with a candy or instant-read thermometer. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, just cook the strawberry mixture until it starts to look like loose jam. It will thicken upon cooling.
• As the jam cooks, you can crush the berries with a wooden spoon against the side of the pot as you go, or use a potato masher. Leave some chunks of berry in there for texture. Spoon the jam into the clean jars and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Seal the jars and refrigerate.