I love making and baking food Christmas gifts. If I am organised enough, I like to make gifts for my family and friends. I find it more satisfying to give homemade gifts rather than store bought ones.
I decided to make jam, after finding I had an abundance of strawberries when we went strawberry picking. I've never made jam before. I guess it's because I've always thought it was complicated to make. It couldn't be further from the truth.
I discovered this jam setting sugar. It definitely makes it easier to make jam. All you need are strawberries (or any other berries you like), jam setting sugar and a knob of butter to give it a bit of a gloss.
Place 1 kg of strawberries in a pot and smash them. I like to leave it a little chunky so the jam has a little texture after it's cooked. Add 1 kg of the jam setting sugar and place on a low heat. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat till the mixture gets to a rolling boil. Let it boil for 4 minutes. To check if it's ready, place a small dollop of jam on a saucer. Drag your finger through it, and if it wrinkles, it's ready. Skim off the foam on top and pour into sterilized jars.
I will definitely make jam again. If I knew it was this easy to make, I would've made this long ago.
