Strawberry Jam

Strawberry jam with Pecorino Romano cheese - my favorite!

I love the taste of homemade jam with a real berries in it, just as my grandmother use to make it. I love to smell a strawberry all over the room when I open a jar. I love to pull a spoon full of strawberries with a dark thick liquid sliding over the sides... And as I lick the drippings from the bottom of the spoon, I love to close my eyes and dive into the strawberry "nirvana"... That's what the real strawberry jam is all about for me. 

Here is how my grandmother use to make it, my mother makes it, I follow their recipe, and I hope my kids would do it too.

I have much more fun if I pick the strawberries...

Start with a strawberries, I like to use the smaller size, if available. Wash it, remove the stem, and measure.
For many generations in my family the ratio stays the same: two parts of strawberries to one part of sugar (*- see note below). 
Cover the berries with sugar in a pot it will be cooked, and let it sweat to release the juice (it would take about 3-4 hours). Then place the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to a medium high and boil it for 5 minutes, stirring it once or twice. 
Turn the heat off, skim all the foam on the top, and let it cool completely. Make sure the area is clean and pot is away from a heavy kitchen traffic so nothing gets into the pot.  
Repeat the boiling and skimming process three times, letting the jam to cool completely between the boiling.  
After the third boiling, pour the jam into a clean jars (** - see note below), let it cool and place in the dry cool area for a storage. I keep mine in the refrigerator. Mother keeps hers in the cool basement (cellar).


Mother calls this recipe "Five minutes in tree days jam" as she cooks it three times during three days before she cans it (so do I). 



* Note: many books and USDA website suggest using twice more sugar and pectin to make strawberry jam. 
** Note: follow the canning guide.

Have a sweet week! 

See you,
Marina