Strawberry fields forever...or until I get my hands on them!

The Strawberry. A small ruby red berry that has its natural season for only a few weeks in the summer (in Ireland at least). It is like the ninja of the fruit world..blink and you could easily miss this jewel of mid summer. I realise that for those who grown their own strawberries, this recipe comes a bit late, but if you want to give it a go, the supermarkets still have ripe versions on their shelves. The strawberry is the essential summer fruit, it is synonymous with Wembeldon and cream, ice cream, on its own, in cocktails - the list is endless. But to capture the sweetness of this ephemeral fruit the traditional manner is to turn it into jam.

People seem to be scared of making jam..I don't really get that. It's two ingredients boiled. From a young age I remember collected raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries and strawberries in my Granny's garden for her to turn into jam. The process was methodical, jars sterilised in the oven, fruit washed and sorted for bruised ones, large saucepans on the stove, bubbling away, as the sweet smell infused the small house and made us all incredibly hungry. I definitely got my love of jam making from my Granny. In fact, she was the catalyst for my interest in baking in general, and it was a bitter-sweet moment when I inherited her large green plastic bowl which she used to make her Christmas cake. I was of course honoured, but it signalled the end of her own physical ability to bake, which was sad to see...though she still is the critic I aim to please and one of the first to taste any creation from my kitchen.

So, one day wandering around a tourist shop in the North of Ireland..my memory is a bit vague on this..I think it was somewhere around the Giant's Causeway..I found a book..a book which became my preserving bible. Called ''Good Old-Fashioned Jams, Preserves and Chutneys'' by Sara Paston-Williams it had recipes from Black Cherry Conserve to Mayfield Apple curd, Rosehip Syrup to Sweet Damson Pickle. And of course, Strawberry Jam. I had tried many various recipes for strawberry jam over the years so when the chance came for a new one, how could I resist? The book was bought and transported home in eager anticipation. 

According to the recipe introduction, this is the recipe that is served at all National Trust cream teas (The National Trust is, from what I understand, an organisation that runs publicly owned parks/houses etc in the UK - they also published this book, so I like them without knowing much about them!)

Now, this isn't an instant gratification recipe, it takes a few days to complete, but is definitely worth it! so be patient!
You will need:

1.5kg small strawberries 
1.5kg sugar (The recipe states jam sugar, due to the poor pectin levels in strawberries but if you don't have it just cook longer - I also used vanilla sugar in one batch..yummy! . You can make the jam sugar into vanilla sugar by leaving some vanilla pods into it for a week or so before making the recipe if you want)

This will yield roughly 2.25kg of jam. 

A note before we start: one thing you need to know about jam is ''the setting point''. In essence, this is how you know your jam will set when cooled. To assess this crucial point, before you start the second boiling, put a saucer in the fridge to allow to get cold. When you have boiled for the second time, take a teaspoon of the jam and put it on the saucer. Allow it to cool, then push your finger tip through the centre of the jam. if the surface wrinkles and the two halves of the jam remain separated, setting point has been reached. If it hasn't, return the jam to the boil for another 5-10 minutes and retest. 

Hull the strawberries and layer with two thirds of the sugar in a wide shallow dish. Sprinkle over the remaining sugar. Cover with a clean cloth and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. 
Next day put it all into a pan and bring slowly to the boil. Allow to bubble on a low heat for 5 minutes, then remove, cover with a clean cloth and leave for a further 48 hours. 

After the rest, return the pan to the heat and bring back to the boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes.(though I found it could be anything up to 30 minutes depending on the pectin in the fruit) until setting point is reached.
Remove from the heat, and skim off any scum. Allow the jam to cool for 10 minutes then stir to disperse the fruit (at this point..you can use a potato masher to crush the fruit if you would prefer smaller pieces of fruit in your jam). 
Pot and cover. 

Potting:
Wash the jars (Kilner Jars are perfect for this but any jar that can be secured tightly will do) in very hot water and dry in the over at 140C/275F/gas mark 1. Leave them there until you are ready to pot the jam. The jars must be warm before filling or the jam could crack them. 
Fill to the top - leaving no space for bacteria to grow.

Serve with home-made brown soda bread or light fruit scones (recipes to follow)