Strawberry Jam

Ingredients

 * 3 cups roughly chopped strawberries
 * 3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar (or more or less depending on sweetness)
 * freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons)
 * Cooking down the strawberries is not difficult, it just takes a bit of patience. Don't attempt to make this at 8pm on a school night.

Directions
Place the strawberries and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a small saucepan. Add about a tablespoon of lemon juice. Turn the heat to medium high. Stick a plate in the freezer if you feel you are going to want to test the jam for doneness before it cools. (see below)

Cook, stirring frequently, breaking up the fruit with the back of a fork, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture liquifies. Taste and add more sugar if necessary.

Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick, about 30 minutes. Use the plate-in-the-freezer trick if you wish to determine doneness. Taste and add more lemon juice or sugar if necessary. Cool and refrigerate.

Plate-in-the-freezer trick. To determine in advance if your fruit will gel: Stick a plate in the freezer for 10 minutes. When it has cooked down to mush, place one teaspoonful on a cold plate. Place the plate in the fridge. Check it after 2 minutes. If the jam has gelled, you’re all set. Otherwise, continue cooking the jam for 5 to 10 minutes longer using this technique to check for doneness as you wish.

Plan B: I'm way to hungover for this crap
If you wake up barely able to walk to the kitchen in a straight line, let alone stir strawberries for hours on end, you can always check out Home Plate in the Marina. They are famous for their home-made jam and amazing bisquits. It's in the Marina, so your huge sunglasses and dirty hair will fit right in.

