Strawberry Jam

Stop by any fruit and flower stand this time of year and you won’t be able to resist the beautiful local strawberries. Apparently, as fate would have it, lots of people couldn’t resist because the place closest to me completely sold out Friday and I had to go back early Saturday morning just to get enough for a few batches of jam.

My cousin Liza inspired me by involving her husband in the jam making process. My husband has just begun the first cooking project of his entire life, making sour dough bread with a starter we got from a friend. He likes the science of having to feed it on a regular basis. It’s possible he believes he has a refrigerator pet. But the point is that making jam is the perfect complement to making delicious sourdough bread. Making jam is easy and doesn’t require two people, but it was a fun rainy afternoon project. Here’s the thing, if you’re going to make a little bit, you might as well make a lot because it’s easy to double and triple the recipe and it makes a lovely gift for a friend who needs a lift or serves as a thoughtful hostess gift – even better with a loaf of bread! It’s easy, first buy jelly jars at any grocery store and follow directions to sterilize. Four pints of strawberries makes about 48 oz of jam. If you use 8 oz jars you get six, two to keep and four to share. There are smaller sizes of jars too.

My recipe is simple. Use four cups of sugar, 1 package of pectin and the juice of ½ a lemon to 6 cups (about 4 pints) of strawberries, stemmed, chopped, and a little bit mashed. From there it only takes a few minutes (actually 2) of boiling to have jam ready to put in jars and seal. That’s it. It not only tastes so much fresher and more delicious than store bought, but you can preen a little about how clever you are to make your own strawberry jam. Go ahead and make a batch. You’ll makes lots of people happy, including yourself! Enjoy!

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients

4 pints strawberries (about 12 cups) stemmed, chopped (about 6 cups)

4 cups sugar

1 package pectin (I use sure-gel)

Juice of ½ lemon

Jars – sterilized according to package directions

Directions

Mash strawberries in a large pot using a potato masher or fork.

Stir in ½ cup sugar and one package of pectin and bring to a boil.

Boil one minute stirring constantly.

Add remaining sugar and lemon juice, bring to a full boil and boil one minute.

Remove from heat, skim foam off of top (it won’t hurt you – just not as pretty).

Ladle into jars and secure lids tightly. Tops will pop as they seal.

*I like to store in the refrigerator, but it isn’t necessary. Most jams will keep at least 30 days unopened and un-refrigerated and up to 60 days in the fridge.