I ended up getting some strawberries picked last Saturday with my daughter and sister.  The berries this year are fantastic!  We had nearly 20 lbs picked within an hour.  We cleaned and ate a bunch on Saturday, made a total of 5 batches of jam (20 pints), and had leftover berries for a pie and frozen sugared strawberries.

 

Here’s the recipe I use:

Strawberry Jam

2 quarts strawberries

6 cups sugar

Prepare jars, lids, and rings.

Wash strawberries and drain.  Remove stems.  Crush berries with a potato masher, one layer at a time until mashed well.  Combine the crushed strawberries and sugar in a large saucepot.  Bring slowly to a boil until sugar dissolves.  Cook rapidly to gelling point (This takes about 25-30 minutes).  As jam starts to thicken, stir often to prevent sticking.  When gelling point is reached, remove pot from heat.  Skim off foam.  Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving a ¼ inch headspace.  Apply two-piece caps.  Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner, OR let jars cool to room temperature, label, and freeze.

I don’t LOVE making strawberry jam, but I like the fact that I make my own.  I only use two ingredients: strawberries and sugar.  In the picture, notice how dark the jam is?  When you make the jam without pectin, it turns a deep red-purple color.  If you use the powdered pectin, the jam ends up a nice strawberry red color.  Either way, it’s good makin’ your own jam!

Have a sweet weekend!  😀

Missie