When I found this brilliant recipe on 52 Loaves, minxymiss, forever changed how I will use leftover berries from now on. You know berries that have passed their optimum freshness but are still nutritionally sound and well… just a small amount. I had such 2/3 cup of crushed strawberries and within six minutes, I made it into fresh strawberry jam! Be sure to use a large microwavable container, do not use plastic, and the fruit must not come higher than 1/3 of the way up the side of the dish. I opened up the microwave half way through and indeed the jam was boiling almost to the top. The fruit sugar ratio is 1 to 1/2 in weight. In other words, for every 100 g fruit, use 50 g of sugar. So whatever your fruit weighs, use half of that weight in sugar. If you do not have a kitchen-scale, use my cup measurements as a guide. My jam was ready in 6 minutes; you may have to cook yours longer, depending on the microwave and/or the amount of fruit used. If you made jams before, you can tell by sight when the jam is ready. As an alternative minxymiss advises, jell point testing. Keep in mind, this process works with only small amounts of fruit.
BERRY JAM in the MICROWAVE
2/3 cup crushed strawberries1/4+1/8 cup sugar
• Place the crushed berries and sugar in a microwave safe container. Do not use plastic.
• Stir to combine and place in the microwave.
Cook for three minutes.
• Give it a stir.
• Cook for 3 minutes longer.
• Place in a small serving bowl and serve.
Jell point testing - put a dish in the freezer. To test for setting put a small dollop of the hot liquid on the plate. Leave in freezer for 40 seconds until it is cool and then push at it with your finger. If it leaves wrinkles on the surface of the jam, it is ready.
