Strawberry Jam

I think I can count the number of times I've purchased jam on one hand with five fingers left over.  I was a lucky child.  There was never a shortage of homemade jam.  My mom and oma ignored child-labour laws and put us to work in the fields from a young age.  For one morning a year, we'd toil under the hot sun, picking basket upon basket until we were rewarded with McDonalds for lunch, and an afternoon of popsicles while they made jam.  I had a rough childhood.  Even now, with the vast numbers of jams and jellies I have tried, I always gravitate back to strawberry.  It's the only one I'll eat with peanut butter and if you ever receive it as a gift from me, you know you're special, because I don't easily part with it.

Strawberry Jam  (I'm typing this in without looking at the recipe)

Prepare jars by running them through the dishwasher with a heated dry cycle.  Place seals in a pot of hot water to soften.

3.5 cups crushed strawberries
7 cups sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 pkg liquid pectin



Mix first three ingredients well in a large pot, bring to a boil.  Once you can no longer stir down the bubbles, boil hard for one minute.  Take off the heat, add the liquid pectin and stir well.  Let stand for a minute and skim off the foam.  Fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, add seals and rings, tighten to finger-tight.  Let cool. (as they cool, the seals will pop inwards, if they don't, you do not have a proper seal and jam should be kept in the fridge until eaten).

Homemade jam is like a drug.  You get hooked, and you can never go back.  Do it, you know you want to!