Simple (and simply) Strawberry Jam

I adore the taste of fresh strawberries, but due to an allergic husband and my inability to eat them cold I can never get through a very large amount of them before they start molding.

So the cycle usually goes like this: buy a really small amount, eat them all, feel sad about not having bought more, buy a whole bunch, eat a quarter of it, they mold, feel terrible about wasting so many, start again.

This time I was determined to break the streak and do something with all my extra berries.  Jam!  Not much extra in it (no interfering with the flavor!) and just glorious, glorious jam.

Ingredients:
3 pint containers of very very ripe strawberries, washed well.
2 cups of sugar
3 tablespoons of lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed, but I won't judge)
about 2 tablespoons of lemon zest *

Directions
Cut the tops off your strawberries and quarter them.  Toss them in a large sauce pan with all the other ingredients and cook on high until them mixture comes to a boil, stirring frequently.  Drop down to medium and cook for 1 hour, coming back to stir about every 10-15 minutes (make sure to scrape the sides and the bottom)

Meanwhile, stick a small plate in the freezer.

At the end of the hour, take a potato masher or a blender to the mix and blend most of the lumps out (you can blend as much or as little out, depending on how lumpy you like your jam)

Now take that plate out of the freezer and drop just a little of the jam on it.  Did it set up like jelly immediately or is it still kind of sloshing around?  If it's sloshing, let it simmer another 15 minutes.  If not, can according to a good canning site (like here) or stick it in a glass bowl and let cool before covering and refrigerating for up to 3 weeks.  (Canned jelly can last up to 3 YEARS)

Enjoy!

*My secret lately has been dried lemon peel, which you can find in your spice aisle.  Always on hand and I don't have to worry about grating my fingers.