The grocery store had a 10 for $10 get the 11th one free sale and it included strawberries!!! So what was a girl to do? Buy a bunch and try her hand at making strawberry jam!!! And can I say I am so glad I did. It was fun, easy and my boys LOVE the jam I made.
I started out with four pounds of berries and I took off the tops and that little center white thingy. It took a lot of self control not to gobble them up as I worked. I then cut the berries into smaller pieces and popped then into the food processor. I used the pulse button and just worked them till they looked “right” to me. I had never done this before so I was winging it, but I guess I pulsed just enough because as I said, it turned out perfect.
Once I had my berries mushed, about 6 cups of them, I put them in a pot and brought them to a rolling boil. Now I just want to say, when I was buying the berries this little old lady in the line behind me, when she found out what I was going to do, told me I would burn myself. I need to hunt her down and slap her for jinxing me!!!! Because yes, as it boiled one of the bubble popped and splattered on my finger and it HURT!
Once the berries were boiling nicely (and after I had run my finger under some cool water) it was time to add the pectin. The pectin is what helps it set up. So I poured in my 5 cups of sugar and my 1.75 oz box of pectin. I then brought it back up to a boil. Once it had a boil going again, I waited one minute and removed it from the heat. We quickly got the jam into pint jars and canned them. This morning when I woke up the jam had set up very nicely.
So what was next? Well opening a jar and making breakfast! My boys both loved it on their toast and I can see I will be planing strawberries this spring so I can make more jam!
do you have to seal the jars? How long do you think they will keep?
It made just over 4 pints and we did seal the jars, but I doubt they will last long around here LOL But my grandmother used to can her jam and I would say about a year unopened.
I added 6 more red heritage raspberry bushes this year to my already existing 3 I planted last year. If you love raspberries, red heritage is the way to go. They are inexpensive, and you will get raspberries in your first year.
With that said, I planted more for the purpose of making my own raspberry jams and jellies … can't wait … this post definitely helps with that goal.
You will have fun making james and jellies! I think they taste great (maybe because we make them ourselves LOL) We have some raspberries that just showed up one year…. might need to smack them around and make them orderly so we can harvest them.
That sounds like a great sale! Strawberry jam is one of our favorites, too! Plus mine always boils over. I sort of get distracted.
Thanks for linking up at Motivation Monday!
Thanks for having me!
I LOVE strawberry jam and will go pick some this week since they are finally in season in Georgia! Thanks for sharing on Wildcrafting Wednesday!
I never really cared for strawberry jam till we made our own. There is just something about making things yourself that makes them sooooo much better!
This looks wonderful! Sorry about your finger. That would be my luck, too. 🙂 I do a lot of pressure canning, but have never tried any jams. After seeing this, I want to make it! I don't have a water bath canner. I wonder if I could can them in the pressure canner instead? Thanks so much for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday." I hope you will be able to join us again next week. Many blessings, Lisa
I don't have a pressure canner but am looking at getting one. As far as water bath canning, you just get them in a pot big enough to hold them and the water cover the lids and them boil , it is very simple. You should try it 🙂 Easy peasy canning.
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This looks awesome!!! We would love it if you would link up at our linky party:
http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/two-girls-and-a-party-link-up-22/
Live every Wednesday to Sunday.
Hosted by:
http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/ Parrish @ Life with the Crust Cut Off
http://thissillygirlslife.com/ Dana @ This Silly Girl’s Life
We hope to see you there!
Okay we’ve got on and a half kilos of strawberries here and that’s going to make us about six to ten jars of jam, depending on the size of your jars of course. Mash the strawberries slightly so that it speeds up the heating up and cooking of the fruit.
My husband has recently started canning and I am anxiously awaiting this summer for him to make strawberry jam! Visiting from Future Expat's Required Ingredient Linky
It is fun and you will not stop with strawberry LOL If it is fruit and it doesn't out run you, you will try to turn it into jam. Once you start, you just can't stop! LOL