So on Monday , Adam and I went to the berry patch and we picked over 10 pounds of strawberries! I was amazed at how well my 3 year old behaved in the field. He just stood right next to me and watched me pick, until he told me that he had to go potty, (always right!). There are temporary facilities at the farm, which Adam refuses to use, so I had to hurry and pick the berries as quickly as I could so that we could make it home in time (we still had to pay and wait for the wagon), otherwise I probably would have picked more.
Thank goodness we don't live very far from the farm, and because I was allowing Adam to munch on the berries while we waited, it kept his mind off of the restroom and we made it home without incidence. That afternoon, I made dinner and prepped some berries for strawberry shortcake (because fresh berries make the best strawberry shortcake ever!)
After dinner, we ate the best strawberry shortcake I have ever made! It was a cake, not a biscuit, so it was moist and it soaked up all of the berry juice. Of course, I served it with whipped cream and it was delicious!
On Tuesday, I knew that I had to get going on the jam if I was going to make it without losing any berries to spoilage. Fresh berries don't last as long as the ones that we can purchase from the store, they have to be used pretty much immediately. So I didn't have time to waste. Tuesday morning, while I was getting my older children ready for the bus, I was also preparing my jam jars, lids, and rings, along with setting the kettle of water on the stove to boil. It was going to be a hot day and I wanted to get the first batch done as early as I could.
After the kids were off to school, I started my first batch. I carefully prepared the sugar, the pectin, the lemon juice and the berries and away I went. I have a Blue Book from Ball that I used for the recipe, it was so easy!
By 10 am, I had 10 glistening jars of strawberry jam. I took a break to run some errands, but was back in front of my stove by 2. I was able to process all of the berries into jam and in total I got 18 (8 oz) jars and 3 1/2 (16 oz jars). The 1/2 jar went straight into the refrigerator, the rest is now sitting on our shelf. I have plans to give some away as gifts, but the rest will be stored to use throughout the school year next year. I am so excited because when I calculated the cost of all of the materials, I realized that I only spent about $1.00 a jar! Good food at a low price, it was definitely worth the effort!
The Recipe I used for the jam:
2 quarts strawberries, washed, stemmed, and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 cups of sugar
1 box of powdered pectin
1/4 cup of water
In a large pot, (I used a four quart dutch oven) combine the berries, lemon juice, water, and pectin, over medium-high heat, stir the mixture until it is brought to a boil. Add the sugar, one cup at a time until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a second boil, stirring consistently. Boil for at least 1 minute (I boiled for 5 minutes to ensure proper jelling.) Remove from heat and allow to sit for a few minutes, stirring to distribute the fruit properly. Pour into heated, prepared jars. Place lids and rings on the jars and place in boiling water (the water must cover the jars by at least 2 inches). for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the jars from the boiling water and allow to rest on the counter. The jam will jell as it cools, once cooled, removed the metal rings and store in cool/ dry conditions until ready to use.
***You must sanitize your jars, lids, and rings to prevent bacteria growth. This is an important step in ensuring the safety of the product. Before storing, make sure that all of the lids are indented and properly secured.***
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