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Preserves · Summer in a Jar

Homemade Strawberry Jam

G By Our Grannies' Kitchen Updated Jun 2026 4.9 (89 ratings)
Homemade Strawberry Jam
Homemade Strawberry Jam
4.9 / 5
4 servings

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Ingredients

Tick each one off as you go.

  • 2 ¼ lb (1000 g) ripe strawberries, hulled
  • 3 ¾ cups (750 g) jam sugar (sugar with pectin)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Small pat of butter (optional)
No jam sugar?

Use ordinary granulated sugar and the juice of 2 lemons instead of 1 — the extra acid helps the set. Expect a softer jam.

Method

  1. Prepare. Put 2–3 saucers in the freezer. Sterilize 4 jars (hot soapy wash, rinse, 15 minutes in a 275°F (140°C) oven); simmer the lids.
  2. Macerate. Layer the strawberries and sugar in a wide, heavy pan with the lemon juice. Leave 30 minutes (or overnight, chilled) until glossy and juicy.
  3. Dissolve, then boil. Warm gently, stirring, until every grain of sugar has dissolved. Then boil hard, without stirring, 8–12 minutes.
  4. Wrinkle test. Off the heat, drop a little jam on a frozen saucer, wait 30 seconds and push with a finger. Wrinkles? Done. Runs? Boil 2 minutes more and test again.
  5. Jar. Stir in the butter to clear the scum, rest 10 minutes so the fruit won't float, then ladle into hot jars and seal at once.
Granny's tip

Take the pan OFF the heat while you test — two extra minutes of boiling while you fiddle with saucers is how jam turns to toffee.

Tips for a perfect set

Wide pan, hard boil

A wide pan evaporates faster, so the jam reaches setting point before the fruit stews to mush.

Trust the wrinkle

Saucer from the freezer, drop of jam, 30 seconds, push. Wrinkle = set. More reliable than any clock.

Hot jam, hot jars

Sterilized, oven-hot jars sealed immediately are what make jam keep for a year.

Questions, answered

Why won't my strawberry jam set?

Strawberries are naturally low in pectin. Use jam sugar, or add the juice of two lemons — and make sure you boil hard enough. A gentle simmer never reaches setting point (220°F (105°C)). Trust the wrinkle test over the clock.

How do I sterilize jars?

Wash in hot soapy water, rinse, then dry in a 275°F (140°C) oven for 15 minutes. Simmer the lids. Always ladle hot jam into hot jars — cold glass can crack.

How long does homemade jam keep?

Properly sealed in sterilized jars, 12 months in a cool dark cupboard. Once opened, fridge it and use within a month.

From Granny's Pantry

The know-how behind this recipe:

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