Makes about 2kg or 5–6 small jars
Takes about 1 hour
2kg strawberries (to end up with about 1.9kg once stems are removed)
1.1kg granulated sugar
2 lemons
2 tbsp dried rose petals (or petals of 2 fresh unsprayed roses)
2 tsp rose water
Remove the green leaves and stems from the strawberries. If they are tiny keep them whole, but otherwise cut in half, or even quarters if they are massive. Place in a large bowl, cover with cold water, count to 5, then drain. Don’t leave them for longer or they may become waterlogged and your jam will be too runny.
Transfer the strawberries to a large jam pan and add the sugar. Zest the lemons with a rough zester or a special strip zester (also called a channeling knife), and then halve and juice them. Put the zest and juice in the pan. Finally add the rose petals. Mix everything together to moisten but don’t over-mix, as you don’t want to squash the strawberries.
Set the pan on a very high heat and bring to the boil. Make sure to stir every now and then, reaching all the way down to the bottom of the pan to make sure there is no residue of sugar that could burn. Once the first bubbles appear, remove the initial foam, then allow the mixture to boil for 5 minutes before you skim any more of the foam.
I like to continue cooking this jam on a high heat throughout as this helps maintain a good red color and allows for more liquid evaporation. This can be a tricky method, as you need to keep a close eye on the jam and skim whenever there is an accumulation of foam, and make sure to stir on a regular basis so it doesn’t burn, but it is worth it to achieve the bright red, fresh-tasting result. It will take between 40 minutes and an hour to achieve the correct consistency; the timing varies depending on the water content in the strawberries. You should see the shape of the bubbles start to change: they will appear larger and resemble volcanic eruptions. This is the time to add the rose water, then test the jam. When it is cooked, transfer to sterilized jars (see notes here).