Strawberry Jam

Directions

1. 1
   Select fresh and slighly under-ripe strawberries, remove the stalks and put the fruit into a preserving pan, then pour in the lemon juice.
2. 2
   Cover the fruit and simmer it gently over a low heat for about 15 minutes until the strawberries are really soft, pressing them against the side of the pan to extract the juice.
3. 3
   Add the sugar and, when every grain has melted, bring the jam to a rapid rolling boil and boil it steadily for about 10 minutes until the setting point is reached.
4. 4
   To test if the jam has set, remove the pan from the heat, spoon a little jam on to a plate and leave it to cool.
5. 5
   then, using a finger, gently push the surface - if the jam wrinkles it is ready.
6. 6
   Stir in the butter - this helps to reduce the scum - then leave the jam to stand for about 10 minutes so that the fruit is evenly distributed.
7. 7
   Fill the warmed jam jars to the neck Cover the jam now, or when it is cold, with rounds of waxed paper, wax side down, then stretch over transparent covers damp side up.
8. 8
   Secure with a rubber band, then label each jar and store.