Serviceberry (Irga) Jam with Lemon for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   The ingredients for the jam.

2. Step 2:

   

   Set a pot of water on the heat.

3. Step 3:

   

   Once it's hot enough, pour in the sugar. You need far more sugar than water—with any other ratio, you won't get a good syrup.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add the washed serviceberries to the boiling syrup.

5. Step 5:

   

   Stir the berries into the syrup and wait for it to come back to a boil. As soon as the syrup starts to bubble, immediately lower the heat to its lowest setting and keep cooking off the excess liquid until the jam reaches the thickness you want.

6. Step 6:

   

   The last ingredient—entirely optional—is the juice of half a lemon. It adds a touch of tartness to the jam.

7. Step 7:

   

   Before ladling the serviceberry jam into glass jars, make sure both the jars and the lids have been well sterilized—otherwise the jam can spoil pretty quickly.

8. Step 8:

   

   This fragrant jam, with a cup of hot tea, makes winter evenings cozy.