Prepping Strawberries

• Rinse organic strawberries in a colander or strainer a few times. Drain all the water and let them dry naturally or wipe them dry with a clean kitchen towel.
• Remove the green stems and leaves from the strawberries. Chop them and set aside.
• In a saucepan take the chopped strawberries. Add sugar and lemon juice.
• Mix well and keep the pan on stovetop on low to medium-low heat.
• The strawberries will leave their juices and begin to cook.
• Stir at intervals and often till the strawberries soften and are cooked.
• Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer till the jam mixture starts reducing.
• Keep on stirring often when the jam mixture is reducing.
• It took me an overall 50 minutes right from the start till finish to cook the jam minus the prep work.
• When the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan, it means the jam has reached its setting point. Other ways to check the consistency and doneness is by doing two tests.
• 1: Plate Test

  Take a spoonful of the strawberry jam on a plate and let it cool. If it sets on cooling and there is no water separation, this means the jam is done.
• 2: Spoon Test or Sheet Test

  Another test is to take the jam in a spoon and allow it to fall. If the jam falls in a one sheet from the spoon, it is cooked and ready to be bottled.
• Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let the jam cool at room temperature.
• Then transfer the jam in a medium-sized sterilized glass jar or bottle.
• This proportion gives about 1 medium jar of jam which is enough for some weeks if you eat jam everyday for breakfast.
• Keep the jam bottle in the fridge.
• Enjoy the strawberry jam as you like.