Strawberry Blueberry Jam

While on Facebook the other day, I saw that a friend was attempting to make some jam to give as gifts to the teachers in her boy's school as Teacher's Day is round the corner. It seemed very easy, so I decided to give it a try. Blueberries are still at a low price while the American strawberries are what we find on the shelves now. As they come in bigger boxes, they cost more than the Korean ones. I can't wait for Korean strawberries to be in season again. They are almost always guaranteed to be sweet. And cheaper. I wanted to make a jam with a combination of blueberries as well as strawberries and while hunting for one, came across Happy Home Baking's jam recipes. I think making jam is an addiction. Once you've tried it the first time, you will want to make more. The downside is that since we don't consume a lot of jam, I can't try out a variety of flavours as they don't keep for long, probably 2 weeks at the max.

Double Berry Jam

Ingredients:
(yields about 300ml of jam)

200g fresh strawberries (I used 275g)
200g fresh blueberries (I used 125g)
120g granulated sugar*
2 tablespoons lemon juice** (I think this can be cut down to 1tbsp)

Method:

1. Wash and remove the stems from strawberries, cut into halves or quarters(for bigger ones), leave whole for small berries. Wash and drain blueberries.
2. Mix strawberries, blueberries and sugar in a bowl. Cover and leave in fridge over night, or let it sit for at least 30mins.
3. Transfer the mixture (including whatever juice that was drawn out from the berries) in the bowl to a stainless steel pot or a large saucepan. (Note: use non-reactive pots made with stainless steel, glass or enamel, avoid pots made with copper, aluminum or cast iron which would react with acid).
4. On medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula or a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (when the bubbles do not stop or lessen when you stir it). Once the mixture starts to boil, skim away any excessive foams or bubbles (I didn't bother skimming off as the fruits were in the way and the foam goes off eventually), stirring constantly all the time.
5. Keep at a slow rolling boil for another 5 ~ 10 mins, stirring constantly till the mixture thickens, becomes clearer and transparent (no more foams).
6. Drizzle in the lemon juice and cook for a further 2~3 mins.
7. Remove from heat. The jam will be a little runny when hot but the consistency will be just right after it has cool off.
8. Ladle hot jam into hot sterilised jars, fill to the brim. Secure lids. Let cool. Once opened, store in fridge and best consumed within 1~2 weeks***.

Sterilisation of jam jars -

Wash glass jars and lids in hot, soapy water, rinse well. Place jars and lids in a pot. Fill with enough cold water to cover the jars. Place over high heat and bring water to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes. Remove jars and lids from boiling water and drain upside down over a clean tea towel. Fill with jam once jam is done and put cover back on. Boil covered bottle till you hear a pop in the cover. Turn off flame and leave jar to cool down before storing in fridge. If consuming jam immediately, there is no need to reboil it after filling.