Beware! If you make these with wild strawberries you may never willingly eat cultivated berries again. This is the basic antique recipe. The princess was given life and her preserves made legendary by Leo Tolstoy in Anna Karenina.
Makes about 4 cups
5 cups strawberries
2 cups sugar
a few drops lemon juice (optional)
Toss the slices with the sugar in a medium-size non-reactive pot and let them sit for 15 minutes while their juices are released and the sugar dissolves.
Cook the berries over high heat for 1 minute, skimming off any white foam as it rises. Immediately pour the hot jam into a flat-bottomed dish (or dishes) with a surface area large enough that the jam will spread to a thickness of no more than 1/2-inch in any one spot. I use glass pyrex baking dishes. Let the jam steam and cool uncovered. If the jam is thinner than you like at this point, let it sit out in a sunny spot to thicken. This can take a few days. Usually three or four. Instinct! The flavor is slowly concentrating. Make sure the spot you choose is inaccessible to ants. If you want to put the jam outside, cover it with plastic wrap with a few pin-holes punched in it to allow continued evaporation.
When the jam has reached the desired texture, taste it and adjust the sweetness with lemon juice, if necessary.
Transfer the jam to clean glass jars, seal tightly, and keep refrigerated for up to a month. If you make more than you can eat in a month freeze your work for up to 6 months.
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