Homemade strawberry conserve

I've never in my life made jam or conserve before.  But inspired by a friend's mother-in-law and my haul of strawberries, I decide to have a go at it!  Previously, I'd thought this process of preserving fruits takes a long time, just like stirring the mixture when making kaya.  But I was wrong.  V's mother-in-law used the microwave and she said it didn't take long for her to make it.

After checking out a few recipes (all very similar) which looks straightforward enough, I set about making my first ever jar of strawberry conserve (I prefer this to jam as I like to eat chunks of berries on my toast).

As my friends know, I don't really measure my ingredients (except for baking cakes or bread which is crucial) when I'm cooking.  I'm sure they get frustrated when they ask me how much of this to put and how much of that to add and I'll tell them I don't really know as I go by the agak-agak (estimation) and 'looking' method.  On this rare occasion, I did!

Ingredients:

1. 800g fresh strawberries
2. 300g granulated sugar (adjust according to your taste, I don't like mine too sweet)
3. Peel of 1 lime/lemon
4. Juice of 1 lime
5. 1 sachet of pectin (optional, you will get a more runny consistency by omitting it)

Ok, before I start, I have to say I didn't follow the proper steps as stated on the packet of silverspoon's pectin.  I took out the strawberries before bringing the syrup to a boil before pouring the latter onto the fruits which means I got pieces of strawberry jelly.  However, I kept stirring and mixing the mixture before pouring it into a jar and it seems to do the trick!  So if you want to get properly set conserve, I think you should leave the berries inside and just pour everything into the jar after it has boiled.

So....let's get to business....


Wash these darlings and leave them to dry.


Hull and cut them into pieces according to the size you like (I like mine really chunky).


I have to admit I was tempted to eat these after chopping them up.


Next, cut the skin off the lime or lemon and remember not to throw them away! They will add a nice flavour to the final product.


Finally, put all the ingredients (except the pectin) into a big, heavy pot. Squeeze the juice of lime/lemon into the mixture and stir well.


Mix well and let it sit for about an hour, stirring occasionally.


This is what you will get when the time's up. Pour the pectin into the mixture and stir well.


Move pot to stove and simmer on medium heat till it starts to bubble. Cook for a further 2 minutes or so (I told you I'm all about agak-agak) before dishing out the glorious berries. I do this because I don't want them to become too mushy. Don't eat them no matter how tempting they may look. They are HOT!


Transfer just the strawberries on a dish for them to cool, leave the syrup in the pot.


Turn up the heat and stir non-stop. When it starts to bubble and thicken, turn off the fire and remove pot from stove, then pour the syrup immediately onto the strawberries and mix everything up. Spoon this into a sterilised jar, cap and put it in the fridge.


This is what will happen to the syrup if you don't mix it quickly enough with the berries.



800g of strawberries became one jar of berry goodness.





Put it on your toast, waffles or ice-cream. Anything you wish, really. My verdict? YUM!