Homemade Strawberry Jam With Apple: Bright, Glossy and Made Without Store-Bought Pectin

Ingredients for Strawberry Apple Jam

This recipe makes about 2 cups of jam, enough for two 8-ounce jars.

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries: about 2 one-pound containers, hulled. Ripe, deep red berries give the best flavor.
• 1 medium tart apple: such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and finely grated. This is your natural pectin.
• 1 to 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar: adjust to the sweetness of your berries.
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice: about 1 lemon. Helps the jam set and keeps it bright.
• 1 pinch of salt: makes the strawberry flavor sing.
• ½ teaspoon butter: optional, it reduces foaming while the jam cooks.

Optional flavorings

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract: stirred in at the end for a warm, creamy note.
• A few fresh mint leaves or basil leaves: for a garden-fresh twist.

A Few Words About the Ingredients

Pick the best berries you can find. Strawberries are the star here, so choose ones that are red all the way through and smell sweet. Farmers market berries in season are ideal, but supermarket berries work well too. Slightly soft berries that are too ripe to eat whole are perfect for jam, as long as they are not moldy.

Frozen strawberries work too. If fresh berries are expensive or out of season, use 2 pounds of frozen unsweetened strawberries. Let them thaw in the pot as they heat, and include all their juice.

About the sugar. Sugar does more than sweeten: it helps the jam thicken and keep longer. You can reduce it to ¾ cup, but the jam will be softer and should be eaten within 2 weeks. Granny Smith apples have the most pectin, but any tart, firm apple such as Pink Lady or Honeycrisp will do.

You will need a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan, a wooden spoon and clean glass jars with lids.