RED FRUIT JAM

(makes approx. 5 jars)

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900 g red fruit - strawberries, raspberries, currants 

900 g sugar – preferably jam sugar

Juice of 2 lemons

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Wash and prepare the fruit.  If using strawberries, remove the hull, if using currants, top and tail them.

Place a large saucepan over a low heat to heat up.

Once the pan is hot add the fruit and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly. (If using frozen fruit, fry for 8-10 minutes.)

Add the sugar and lemon juice.

Stir well and continue to stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Once all the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat to medium/high. Allow the jam bubble until it reaches setting point.

Do the wrinkle test or check with a jam thermometer.

Once your jam has reached setting point (105ºC on a jam thermometer) pour it into sterilised jars, seal and leave to set.

Notes

• To make any red fruit jam, simply use equal quantities (by weight) of prepared fruit and sugar. Adding lemon juice helps with flavour but also helps with the set of jam where the fruit is low in pectin.  A good guide is ¼ tsp of lemon juice per 100g of fruit.

• Jam sugar is good to use with fruit low in pectin (such as strawberries) as it already has pectin added.  Pectin is what helps make the jam set.

• Some really delicious combinations are Rhubarb and Strawberry, Marrow and Ginger & Blackberry and Apple.