Yapton and District Cottage Gardeners Society.

Strawberry and apple jam

Submitted by: Ken Rippengale

The first berry fruits available to the gardener is the early summer strawberries. The strawberry plant grows well on allotments with its sunny open position. In this jam, as strawberries has no pectin, it has to be mixed with a high pectin content fruit in this case cooking apples. This is a cheap jam to make if you grow your own and it's a way of storing a bumper harvest as this years crop has turn out to be.

Makes approx six 454g - 1lb jars.

1kg-2.2lbs freshly picked strawberries, hulled and washed.
1kg-2.2lbs Bramley cooking apples, washed,
cored, peeled and cut into small pieces.
lemon juice: from one lemon.
1.8kg / 4lbs sugar.
300mls water:

Start by preparing jars, wash in hot water to which has been added a drop of washing up liquid, wash under running tap, leave to drain. place in oven on tray, set to it's lowest setting.
Place apples, lemon juice and water in medium saucepan cook until tender. Meanwhile place strawberries in preserving pan, using a potato masher crush the strawberries, when apples are tender use the potato masher again to crush the cooked apples into a pulp, add this pulp to the crushed strawberries stir well.

Add sugar, stir in, bring to rolling boil, approx 10 -15 minutes, test for set using the cold plate method. leave jam and jars to cool for 15 minutes, Pot, cover and label.