Strawberry Lemon Poppyseed Jam

We are thrilled that Chef Kathy Casey has shared her jam recipe with us!

Strawberry Lemon Poppyseed JamMakes 14 half-pints.

3 quarts (3 pounds) stemmed strawberries
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely minced lemon zest
1 box MCP pectin
8 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Place strawberries in a 6- to 8-quart, heavy-bottom saucepot and crush them with your CLEAN hands, leaving a few nice chunks for texture. Add lemon juice and zest. Add the pectin and stir in.

Place over high heat and bring to a FULL ROLLING BOIL (a boil you can’t stir down), stirring constantly to prevent scorching. (If the mixture starts to scorch, turn down the heat a bit.) Stir in the sugar and poppyseeds and, as soon as the full rolling boil takes place again, start timing and cook the jam for 4 minutes.

Then remove from heat and fill jars as above. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (with this method jam will keep for up to 1 year stored at room temperature), or cool and refrigerate jam for up to 3 months.

Copyright © by Kathy Casey.