Strawberry (Lemon) Jam Recipe from Devon

This strawberry jam recipe comes to us from Letitia Clark, author of the visually stunning cookbook "Bitter Honey" - "A Compilation of Stories and Recipes from the Island of Sardinia". Of course, any of us would easily dream of life on this Italian island, where relaxing is a way of life, and eating is an art form. The appeal is obvious. However, when I learned that Letitia was raised on an apple orchard in Devon, the move to Sardinia became a little more difficult for me to understand. After all, as I told Letitia in our conversation - "Devon is my Sardinia"! (Of course, there's so much more to the story and I'd invite you to listen to Letitia's episode "I Wanted to Encourage People" to hear her story of working as a chef in many London kitchen, then falling in love with home cooking in Sardinia.  The words "Devon", "scones", "clotted cream" and "strawberry jam" will always be almost magical to me - until I visit Devon, I'll continue to wonder if it really exists or if it's only found in books. That's why I was delighted when Letitia shared this recipe that connects her to her grandmother, Devon, and now, to Sardinia as well. Before skipping to the recipe, I'd urge you to read Letitia's absolutely poetic words below - which will also answer why I'm titling this Strawberry (Lemon) Jam.

Strawberies to me will always taste of summers in England. That flavour, and that fragrance 
are so reminiscent of every summer of my life it feels so strange to smell it in April, in
Sardinia.

In Sardinia strawberries taste of spring. The heat of the Italian climate means that the
strawberries ripen in mid-April. Sardinian summers taste instead of salt and fat and fish and
watermelon; the scorched skin of a grilled squid, the fat of a barbecued sausage, the salty
lick of an upper lip, the dusty white saline crust of skin after swimming. Summer in Sardinia
tastes of sun cream and iced coffee and gelato and the cool, clean, chemical flavour of
watermelon.

Whenever and wherever you make it, strawberry jam is indisputably the most precious of all
the jams. It has a floral delicacy and sweet intensity which are incomparable. This is the best
strawberry jam recipe I have ever made, it allows the berries to maintain their integrity, not
cooked so much so that they disintegrate or are muffled by the solid shout of sugar, instead
entire and flavourful and suspended in a shining fragrant syrup, almost like candied
strawberries. To counterbalance the sweetness of the strawberries, a lot of lemon is added
and the tiniest pinch of salt too. The butter is a trick from my cooking school days, which
helps to dissolve the scum on the top of the jam, and (I think) adds a subtle edge to the
flavour.
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Episodes Related to this Strawberry (Lemon) Jam

Episode 045: "I Wanted to Encourage People"

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Or listen to Lettita now:

Recipe

Strawberry Lemon Jam Recipe with No Pectin Added

A bright, tangy jam, packed with fresh strawberries and lemon—no pectin needed. Perfect for spreading on toast, filling pastries, or gifting.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Sauces

Cuisine British

Servings 4 servings

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1.2 kg strawberries
• 800 g sugar (caster or granulated)
• 2 lemons
• Small pinch salt
• a tiny piece of butter (literally hazelnut size)

Instructions

 

Cue Up The Recipe!

• Make sure you listen to Letitia's episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast, I Wanted to Encourage People” Letitia Clark, Author of “Bitter Honey while you make her amazing Strawberry Lemon Jam Without Pectin.

Make The Recipe

The night before

• Cut off the tops of your strawberries and halve them. Place them in a large bowl, pour in the sugar, cut the lemons into quarters (removing any seeds), squeeze them over the fruit, and then drop the quartered lemons into the bowl.
• Stir the whole lot a few times and then cover and leave to macerate overnight.

The next day

• Sterilize your jars. (See the note section below for 4 different ways to sterilize.)
• Remove the lemons from the bowl of strawberries and discard them. Pour the fruit and the syrup into a jam pan (or large saucepan) and bring to a boil.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.

The Wrinkle Test

• While the jam is simmering, place one or two small plates in the fridge.
• Once the plates are cold, remove them from the fridge and pour a little jam onto one of the cold plates. Wait a few seconds and then push it with your finger. If wrinkles appear on the surface of the jam then your jam is ready to pot. If not, cook for a few minutes longer.
• Add a small amount of butter and a pinch of salt and stir gently to dissolve the scum.

Sealing the jars

• Ladle into your prepared jars. Leave about a 1/4 of an inch of space from the top of the lid. Stir until the air bubbles are gone from the jam. Secure the lids just until the rings feel snug with a little bit of tension. If you tighten them too much it won't allow for air to escape from the jar which is crucial in the canning process.
• Using a deep, large pot, fill it about halfway with water and set it to a low boil.
• Place the jars on a rack that fits into your pot and lower into the water making sure that the water covers the jar by about an inch or two. Place upright and don't stack on top of each other. Cover the pot and return to a boil for about 10 minutes or so. 
• Using tongs or a rack lifter, remove them from the water and place the jars on the countertop covered by a towel for up to 24 hours or until the jars reach room temperature. If there is a slight indentation on the top of the lid, you will know that your jar has a good seal. Refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Notes

• 4 Ways to Sterilize your jars
  • Important note: Do not add hot jam into cold jars or cold jam into hot jars. The extreme differing temperatures will cause the glass to shatter.
    Oven 
    • Line the oven shelves with newspaper (keep away from flame if using gas) and heat the oven to 275 F / 130 C.
    • Place the jars on top of the newspaper and leave in the oven for at least 20 minutes, then remove using oven mitts.
    Dishwash
    • If your dishwasher gets hot enough, place your clean jars and run a cleaning cycle. 
    Microwave
    • DO NOT USE WITH METAL LIDS.
    • Place your slightly wet (and clean) jars in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.
    Hot Water Bath
    • Place your cleaned jars right side up in a pot of water (make sure the water covers them by about an inch) and boil for at least ten minutes.
     
• Make sure to listen to Letitia on The Storied Recipe Podcast, "I Wanted to Encourage People” Letitia Clark, Author of “Bitter Honey” while you make her Strawberry Jam recipe!

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

Keyword Holiday Recipes, Jam, Strawberry and Lemon Jam, vegetarian

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