If you've always wanted to try your hand at making jam, this strawberry and coconut milk version is a simple stunner. Make the most of this year's crop and put up a few jars of your own!

We're at the end of strawberry season, so take advantage of the low prices on them and make some jam. For this recipe, I had to go back to my memories of Grandma boiling up flats of fresh berries with coconut milk and palm sugar for a beautiful, velvety jam. I've scaled it down and adjusted it to include raw sugar. It's kind of a cross between white sugar and brown sugar and is somehow not too sweet.

Ingredients (yields about 3 cups of jam)

2 lbs. of fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup of coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 and 3/4 cups of raw sugar

Method

In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine the three ingredients and stir well to combine. You're going to cook this on medium at first, then simmer it on low once it really gets going. Simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. That's it! You want the contents of the pot to reduce by half, so don't cover it during the cooking process.

Cool and store for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, freeze for up to a year.

toast

Keep in Mind

  • The best berries for this would be fresh-picked, of course, but you can certainly use a few quarts from the store.
  • Don't skip the coconut milk! You can't really taste it in the final product – it just lends a sort of creaminess to the jam that will set it apart from store-bought.
  • The hot mixture will set up once refrigerated, and the texture will resemble traditional strawberry preserves.
  • The sugar is what keeps this together as a jam (and not a sauce or syrup) so don't reduce the quantity.

**The photos in this article are by Sarina Petrocelly.

Do you have a favorite recipe for strawberry jam or preserves? Tell us about it in the comments!