June, bottled. A small batch cooked fast keeps the fruit's brightness — the taste of the season in glass, sealed by a long boil in the water bath.
you'll need
- 1 kg strawberries, hulled and halved
- 700 g granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- A knob of butter (optional, to keep the scum down)
- Sterilised, warmed twist-off jars, new lids, and a water bath
the method
- 1.
Macerate the strawberries with the sugar for an hour or two until the juice runs.
- 2.
Cook at a rolling boil, stirring, for 10–15 minutes, until the mixture reaches 104–105°C or wrinkles on a cold plate.
- 3.
Skim if you like, then pot hot into sterilised, warmed jars, filling to 5 mm below the rim.
- 4.
Cap with new lids — with two-piece ring jars, screw the band down only finger-tight, so the air can escape in the bath.
- 5.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, then lift out and leave undisturbed overnight.
- 6.
Check each lid — sealed ones give nothing when pressed — and store in a cool, dark cupboard for up to a year.
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