Hi there, do you remember me? I used to blog once upon a time. Sorry I’ve been away, on the 8th of Feb we welcomed our gorgeous little girl, Amaanah. I’ve been busy looking after her and of course a son and a husband, and the usual run of the mill everyday stuff.
For now, I’m back, so be prepared to have your inbox’s flooded.
Please don’t put me into that blackhole you have in your inbox, AKA the SPAM folder, my flood will be more like a drizzle, a sprinkle even, I promise.
Now let’s talk about jam.
Don’t ask me why but I have something against store bought jam. I’m not a health freak, I try to be at times, but I’m not. I do however find myself looking more seriously at ingredients these days, especially when it comes to feeding things to my little man. I’m not a Nazi about what he eats, I try my best to avoid excessive sweet, chocolate and soft drink intake, but he is your typical kid and does enjoy indulging in all those “wonderful” things.
One thing I particularly look at is jam, I’m not sure why it’s jam that gets under my skin, I just figure it’s something that should be fairly natural since it’s made from fruit, but instead I find it has a tonne of sugar, preservatives and colourings in the ingredient list. Like I said, I’m not a health nut, and my son (and I) probably eat way worse things, that have way more sugar, preservatives and colourings than jam, (M&Ms I’m looking at you), but jam seems to be my sticky point (excuse the pun). So in the interest of my son and because it is so easy, I make my own. I have been for a while now, in fact I have an earlier version of a raspberry jam. I’ve revised the recipe and made it better suited to a larger quantity. This recipe makes approximately 2 jars (2.5 – 3 cups), but you can half, double, or triple the recipe, it would work just as well, it will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
Homemade Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg strawberries before cleaning the leaves off
- 1 1/2 cup raw sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash your strawberries well and clean the leaves of the tops. Place the strawberries in a big pot on a low-medium heat. Add in the sugar and lemon juice and let cook. Don't let it get too hot, you don't want it to be boiling over, just simmering, put it on a lower heat if you need to. Skim off the foam that forms at the top of the mixture, continue to do this until jam is reduced and foam no longer forms. You can also smash the strawberries from time to time so you don't have massive chunks. It can take 1-2 hours to cook.
Notes
Hope you’ll try this jam out. It may take a little while to cook, but it’s easy and I think it tastes better than store bought. The best part is that the little man loves it, and that’s the most important thing.
First off, Congrats! May Allah bless your children, and may they forever remain the Noor of your eyes!
Secondly, I don’t know what it is about store bought jam that drives me crazy as well! I haven’t ventured into homemade jam as of yet because I feel like it may be too advanced, but I have been able to find more natural jams in the market.
Your jam looks wonderful! The recipe seems so customizable; I can imagine making peach or apricot jam following the same method! π
I so wanna try this jam out…I love jam..need to try the homemade one now π love this blog!!!
Thank you! Try it, it’s really easy!