Got two punnets of Cameron Highland strawberries on offer. As some of you may know they are not the sweetest but good enough for making jams!!
Yum! Perfect for scones.
Source from Ina's Back to Basics cookbook
Ingredients
3 pints strawberries, washed, hulled & cut into half
3 cups sugar
2 tbsp Grand Mariner or orange flavoured liqueur
1/2 granny smith apple , cored and diced finely*
1/2 cup blueberries, washed
Method
1. Mix together in a heavy base post the strawberries, sugar and liquor.
2. Boil using medium heat, stirring often.
3. Add apples and blueberries and keep fire at rolling boil, stirring occasionally until temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 220C degrees (about 25-35 min).
4. Skim any foam that rises to the top and discard.
5. Cool jam to room temperature before storing in sterilized jars in the refrigerator. Can last for at least 2 weeks.
*Note - Pectin makes jams gel and found in underripe fruit. Granny Smith Apples are available year-round and contain lots of pectin.
My version
320g (washed, hulled & cut) strawberries
75g caster sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 granny smith apple, diced
1 tbsp organic honey
zest of orange/lemon (optional)
Method - follow above.
This was an earlier batch I made but added some water to the jam ingredients while cooking. It all came together in the end - just longer cooking time. But realised from using Ina's recipe, no need to add the extra liquid as there's plenty from the strawberries themselves!!
Bench notes - The amount of sugar used in cooking the jam will usually determine the length of time you can keep/store the jam. So do keep this in mind if you plan to reduce the amount of sugar in your recipe.
Pretty tasty on toast too...ahh, nothing beat homemade stuff! :)
