02/02/2025
Somehow over the years red chilli pickle in December, strawberry jam in January have become more of a tradition. I remember reading a few years back - what you do at your home regularly, the little habits that you build become part of your family’s traditions. So in addition to all the festivals and food that are a part of my heritage, we’ve accumulated these little traditions along the ways. Homemade birthday cakes always, plum cakes for Christmas, red chilli and amla pickle in Nov/ Dec and strawberry jam in January. Family pictures taken for Diwali, color coded sarees / clothes for Golu 🙂. Rangoli for Diwali and Diya painting too although we have stopped it in the last couple of years. Blessed to have these and oh so grateful.
The jam recipe is simple, no pectin needed for the setting - the strawberry seeds on the surface of the berries do the job very well.
Strawberries, chopped into small dice about 3 cups
Lemon juice, couple of tbsp
2 cups brown sugar
Butter 1 tbsp
Bring ingredients together and simmer until the fruits are soft and pulpy. Mash and continue to simmer until you reach the thickness you’d like. Stop when there’s some liquid, the jam will thicken as it sets. Can set a plate in the freezer and test your jam consistency on the plate. I’m lazy and my family is forgiving of a variety of consistencies so I stop when the jam is a coulis, preserve or a true jam per how I feel that particular year.
You can add a tbsp of chia seeds in these, I prefer the jam without that as I don’t like the gloopy consistency it brings.