an ode to refrigerator jam and a lot of strawberry love

We are getting quarts of strawberries weekly with our CSA share. Which is a delight.

But strawberries are fragile, and even in the 3 blocks home our 4-year-old can manage to smoosh a vast swath of them. Which led them along with some limp rhubarb (I had intended to film a compote recipe – but let them languish in the fridge instead) into a quick jam. A jam that we have happily dolloped on yogurt, sent in sunbutter lunchbox sandwiches, and fancified a plain slice of cheesecake.

So here is my ode to refrigerator jam – because it is the opposite of everything I think of making jam. And that’s because when I think of making jam, I think of work. I think of sterilizing jars, weighing fruit and using excel sheets to scale ingredients. I think of boiling and stirring and skimming and spoon tests to make sure it’s exactly set. And I think of carefully filling, water bath canning, and checking each seal the next day. This is the type of jam you tastefully label and ration. A labor of love that will keep for a year.

Refrigerator jam is not that. It’s some fruit, sugar, lemon juice if I already have a lemon cut. You could measure but you really don’t need to. You cook it down until it’s jammy. You could test the set but I don’t. Once cool, it goes in the fridge and you eat it all week. Then make some more with the next round of must use now fruit.

Refrigerator Jam
This is the most minimal of recipes. If your fruit isn’t super sweet (ie adding in rhubarb), you can up the sugar. If your jam is too thin, you can cook it down longer - or add some chia seeds to thicken/gel it up.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fruit (pitted and cut into smallish pieces)

• 2-4 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice or water

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, heat over medium high until boiling, reduce heat to low.

2. Cook stirring occasionally until jammy, about 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely and then store in fridge. Keeps for a week.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs strawberries (hulled and cut into 1/2” pieces)

• 1.5 lbs sugar

• 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 4” segments and split

• 1/2 lemon (juice removed)

• 1 tsp black peppercorns

• peel from 1 apple

Steps:

1. In a heavy bottom, non-reactive pot combine strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Let macerate at room temperature for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally (or refrigerated overnight).

2. Add the lemongrass, lemon peel, peppercorns and apple peel to a piece of clean cheese cloth and tie tightly into sack. Add satchel to pot with strawberry mixture.

3. Heat pot over high heat stirring continuously so that sugars don’t burn to the bottom. Skim off and discard foam regularly until jam is clear and bubbles are smaller, about 20 minutes. Remove cheese cloth bag with tongs, and squeeze out as much juice as you can.

4. Start testing the temperature. Your jam will be ready at (or just below) 220°F. Continue to stir until it reaches temperature. Test the set by adding a spoonful of jam to a small chilled plate. Freeze for 1 minute, and then run a finger through the middle. If it stays parted, it’s set. If it fills back in, continue cooking, re-resting every minute until properly set.

5. You can refrigerate this jam and eat within a week, but if you are going through the steps of proper jamming, we’d recommend water bath canning to keep for 1 year.

1. the trifecta of picnic blankets (oversized, waterproof, washable) 2. hand printed napkins 3. strawberry scents 4. handblown glass with dainty berries 5. ceramic but not cabbage shaped 6. always pro-notebook