Strawberry Jam

My dear Grandpa Crane loved homemade jam. Whenever he had toast, he would pile the jam as thick as the bread itself. Growing up, we never ever bought jam from the store. My mom always had jars and jars of homemade strawberry, apricot, and raspberry jam (sometimes blackberry and peach too). We knew no other way. Jam came from fruit, not from the store. I hope my children will grow up to appreciate homemade jam...which leads me to our project this week- Homemade Strawberry Jam! Strawberries from California were on sale for $1/carton this week, so I took advantage of a great deal. I made a single batch first (because it's been a little while and if I messed it up it's not a big deal). Then I made a double batch the next day. I make freezer jam which is truly as simple as can be. Start by washing and drying your strawberries. Remove the stem and dice them (a job for mom only). Once they are chopped, mash them up. Kids love helping with this part. I don't like to get them too mashed because I like jam with lots of chunks of fruit.

Next, add the sugar and let it sit at least 10 minutes. (Follow the instructions on your pectin package.) The sugar will really break down the fruit, so that's why I like to leave some larger pieces.

After you let it sit, stir in the pectin and water (as in the instructions).

Pour it into jars with room at the top for freezer expansion and you have yourself the best jam in the world. This honestly took a half an hour. Blogging about it took longer than the project itself! Three recipes made enough jam to last our family for a year, but I'm sure we'll be giving some away to friends and family...if you are lucky!