Lumpy strawberry jam.

It's definitely strawberry season here,  Saturday I picked 700 grams and this afternoon another 800.   Now, I love strawberries.  Probably my number 1 favourite fruit after fresh pineapple,  or a crunchy granny smith,  but those we have to buy so I guess it's the most cost effective favourite fruit.   And all these are still coming from plants of plants of plants from the original 3 we bought about 7 years ago.  A good investment.

Back to strawberries and what to do them all?   I could eat them any time of day,  lovely straight from the plant all warm and sunny,  with yoghurt for breakfast,  in a fruit salad,  just a handful to nibble whenever.  John likes them sliced and sugared and left to marinate for a while and in a fruit salad,  but when Saturdays 700 grams appeared on the table there was a   "any chance of strawberry jam?"  request.   So that's what I made on Sunday,  when it was cool enough I dolloped some on a slice of buttery bread said  'try this.' 

Now I know everyone is different - the world would be very boring if not - but he does like his jam to be  - quote - not lumpy.   So raspberry seedless,  or bramble jelly,  I make peach jam and that's not a jelly and he enjoys that,  but when I asked how was the jam he said 'didn't manage to get rid of the lumps then!' 

I hoped he was joking but ....... 'You can't have strawberry jam without strawberries'   I said,  'otherwise you'd have to just use the juice  (how, I don't know)   and then it would be strawberry jelly.  The clue is in the name of it.'

In the freezer are a couple of pots of strawberry puree from last year that I was keeping for maybe using in a trifle or some other pudding out of season.  Next time I'm shopping I'm going to buy John a bag of sugar,  defrost the puree,  and leave him to experiment with a smooth strawberry jam.  I'm sure it'll work and taste exactly the same,  but to me strawberry jam has strawberries in it.    Lumps in other words.