making strawberry jam
A few weeks ago we paid a visit to a local strawberry patch. With two kids under the age of our we kept our expectations low and were just hoping the kids would have a good time and then we'd head home happily covered in red juice but not much else. Well... apparently Teddy had other plans.
Upon reaching the strawberry fields he took a moment to survey what was going on. Then he got a very determined look on his face and proceeded to watch us pick and place strawberries in the basket. We ate a few. He ate a few and then the fella got to work. It was all about business from that moment forward. No eating, not even when presented with the most tempting of specimens, they all must go in the basket! No matter what!! So lo and behold by the time we made it back to the car we had a basket that was quite literally overflowing with strawberries. And two very sticky and tired toddlers. But goodness gracious that boy can pick!!
Of course there was no way we were eating all of them before they went bad so I figured this was as good an opportunity as any to give canning a try. I headed to the grocery store with a list and good intentions. I had no desire to get fussy about things so I made "freezer jam" right off of the Ball pectin jar label. And it was soooo easy! And you would not believe how good this stuff is! These tiny jars have been disappearing ever since!!
You will need:
- strawberries
- sugar
- classic pectin
- jars with lids
I started by boiling my jars and lids in hot water and then giving them time to dry. In the meantime I washed and cut all the strawberries, threw them in my Blendtec for maybe a minute or two and we were ready!
I had about three cups of strawberries so I just doubled the pectin (3 tbsp) but only did two cups of sugar and trust me it was plenty!
Next dump the strawberries in a saucepan. Gradually stir in the pectin. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.
Add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle into jars, screw on lids and allow to cool to room temperature. Now you're ready to move these babies to the fridge!
I believe there's something else I had to do if I was planning on freezing it but since we've almost powered through it all in less than two weeks I didn't even bother with that part.
Spreading this on my homemade bread, right out of the oven with some butter is what dreams are made of! Now I just need to make some butter with the raw milk we have sitting in our fridge!