Strawberry & Mulberry Jam

At the markets this morning I spied beautiful mulberries and strawberries. Lately I've developed a bit of an obsession with preserving fruit and vegetables, and the discovery of the blog Saving the Season has added fuel to the fire. My desire to make jam couldn't wait any longer, which was unfortunate given that temperatures soared to 3o+ degrees today and spending time at the cooktop was less than ideal.

Still, it was worth it. Yum.

Jam also makes a lovely little housewarming gift for friends...

Strawberry & Mulberry Jam

Ingredients
750g strawberries, washed, hulled and cut in half
750g mulberries, washed and stalks removed
1.5kg sugar
125ml lemon juice
25g pectin or other jam setting agent

Method
Combine berries and lemon juice in a large saucepan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add sugar and cook over low heat for a further five minutes until the sugar dissolves, and then bring to the boil. Boil for 15 minutes and remove from heat, skimming any foam or gunk from the jam with a slotted spoon. Stir in pectin and then return to the boil for five minutes. Ladle the hot jam into jars, using the processing method of your choice. (Some people like to spoon hot jam into sterilised hot jars, but I prefer to use a water bath processing method because it seems somehow more 'proper'.) The jam should be left for about 4 weeks so that the flavours can develop but obviously we had to try some immediately.