Place strawberries in an 8 quart Dutch oven or pot. Mash with a potato masher. Note: if berries are too hard to mash, add 1/4 cup water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently cook until berries are soft. Watch closely so berries to not burn. Add sugar, lemon juice, orange juice or liqueur, and cardamom.
Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
Turn heat up to medium high and cook rapidly, stirring often to prevent scorching, until the mixture reaches the gelling point. Note: Gelling point can be checked one of three ways: Either cook until the mixture reaches 8 degrees above the boiling point of water (usually this will be 220 degrees but you should check your thermometer and the boiling point beforehand). Or place a glass plate in the freezer for at least 5 minutes. Drop a spoonful of the hot mixture onto the plate and draw a line through it. If it remains separated it is at the gelling point. Or lift a metal spoonful of jam out of the cooking pot. If the mixture falls off the spoon in a sheet, it is at the gelling point. Ladle set jam into 4 clean half-pint jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Top with two piece lids and rings and process in a water bath for 15 minutes. Don't forget to adjust for altitude if you are more than 1000 feet above sea level.
