This is the easiest jam to make, and yes, it uses way less sugar and no additives. Once sealed in sterilized jars, it keeps for over six months (or longer) without needing to be refrigerated. It's my go-to recipe for a reason: it's simple, and it skips the usual 50/50 fruit-to-sugar ratio, jam sugar, citric acid, preservatives, and who knows what other unnecessary stuff we don't need at all.

So let's get started!

Strawberry Jam

This is a quick, traditional French strawberry jam with over 80% fruit. The kids love it, and so do I — because it's just how strawberry jam should be: packed with berries and summery sweetness, completely free of added citric acid or pectin. It's fast to make and tastes like summer. If you have a bag or three of strawberries in the freezer, you can whip this up in no time and spoon it over apple fritters, pancakes, or whatever else you fancy.

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

Quantity: 500 g

Author: Belle

Ingredients

600 g Strawberries fresh or frozen.
100 g Unrefined cane sugar I use turbinado or demerara.
1 tbsp Lemon juice I use 100% organic lemon juice from Sicily, since bottled lemon juice has a consistent pH.
1 pod Bourbon Vanilla I use the pod and caviar in this one.

Instructions

Put the frozen berries in a thick-bottomed pot. I prefer a good copper one, or enameled cast iron like Staub or Le Creuset, for making jam.
Pour most of the sugar over the berries, setting aside 1 tablespoon for later. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Rub the seeds into the reserved sugar with the flat of a knife until they're evenly mixed in. Sprinkle the vanilla sugar over the berries and drop in the bean.
Add the lemon juice.
"Stir the sugar into the berries with a wooden spoon, then cook over low heat for 5 minutes until the berries have released their juice."
Then turn the heat up to high. Keep a close eye on it from here on — it can burn fast.
After about 15–20 minutes, the jam will start to thicken. It's done when you can run a spoon through it and see a clear path to the bottom of the pot. The liquid no longer flows back together — the pectin has set, and it's ready to pour into sterilized jars.
Once the jam is ready, let it cool, then share it with someone you care about.

Notes

You can always double or triple the recipe, though that will add quite a bit to the cooking time. I often make 2 kg at a time — that way, you save on electricity and have plenty of summery sweetness in the fridge for when you're craving it.

Feel free to leave a comment if you'd like — I think I've come up with a great recipe for a less refined, less sugary strawberry jam, which goes perfectly with my "Lazy kitchen" recipe for Aebleskiver (Danish Doughnuts),and is just the thing for a cozy Sunday during the dark months.

Love

P.S. All posts on this blog are written and photographed by Belle Frost; no AI was used to generate content, and all copyright belongs to Maison Frost.

"Lazy Kitchen" Strawberry Jam