Getting Jam'my with strawberries

Don't we all have days when getting up in the morning is such a task ? I sure have quite a few of them ; and when waking up is such a trouble, the breakfast preparation seems mighty and woeful . Precisely when I truly appreciate the creation of bread, butter & jam and not necessarily in that order. I am sure you would all agree that  having bread & jam in the pantry is a god-sent and more so if kids are around. The jam is such an all rounder. On breads & buns, in rolls & wraps, on pancakes & cakes, and even as a thick spread on Marie biscuits, it is true treat. And when the jam is a strawberry delight, the delighted squeaks of the kids is a joy to behold. 

Luscious strawberries have just begun to flood the market and my fridge is choc-o-bloc with packs of these berries. Besides stuffing ourselves crazy with these beauties, I made 2 batches of jam with them which incidentally has become an addictive pleasure. A quick surfing of the net revealed a whole lot of recipes for the same using pectin. Since, I was making small batches of the same, I used  only 3 ingredients and no there is no pectin in it.

Do you know that Fresh strawberries were once used as a toothpaste, as the juice cleaned discolored teeth ?

What's in it :-

• Strawberries - 1/2 kg (rinsed well & hulled) ; roughly cut
• Caster Sugar - 350 grams (approx)
• Lemon Juice - from 1/2 a (big) lemon

Also required:-

• Heavy bottomed pan
• clean jar

Here's How:-

In a bowl , add the sugar and lemon juice to the roughly cut berries and mix gently. Leave the contents for a few hours so that the sugar steeps well in to the berries. Tip the mix in to a heavy-bottomed pan.Bring up to a boil over high heat, stirring once in a while. Once it starts bubbling up, lower the heat to medium flame. Keep stirring the pan regularly so that the contents don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Also scrape the sides of the pan, to add to the thickening. It also intensifies the taste.

Continue simmering down the jam until, when you take out a spoonful of it and put it on a cold plate, it does not run all over.

Verdict :-

Blissfully sweet and a tasty indulgence.

Useful Pointers 

1.	The strawberries steeped in the sugary syrup for 2-3 hours. You can allow it to soak for a few more hours or overnight to further intensify the colour and taste.
2.	If you want jam in a jiffy, simply pulp the hulled strawberries and then tip it in to the heavy bottomed pan along with sugar and lemon juice. Follow the rest of the procedure as above
3.	If you want to have a chunky jam, reserve a few strawberries and add it at a later stage just before the jam starts thickening
4.	The thickening took up to 15- 20 minutes. You can adjust the sugar to taste.

This is off to Avant Garde Cookies  Week 1. ENJOY !