I’ve never made a jam before – at least, not that I could think of. With a huge bag of over-ripe strawberries sitting in my fridge, I decided this was as good a time as any.
I used this recipe on Allrecipes.com. I liked it because 1) it looked easy, 2) it was rated well, and 3) it didn’t require pectin. Seeing how I’m starting at the very beginning, I want to ease my way in.
All this recipe required was strawberries, sugar (and LOTS of it), and lemon juice.
Mash the strawberries, and then add them to a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Then, bring to a rolling boil. One thing I didn’t anticipate was having the strawberries REALLY bubble up. They were very close to overflowing the saucepan. Make sure you select a pretty deep pot for this recipe.
Boil until the temperature reaches 220. Then, cool.
As your jelly cools, it will start to thicken. The final result will be a soft, spreadable jam.
Here’s how mine looked immediately after pouring into the container.
The recipe gives further instruction on how to can your jam. Since we planned on eating ours right away, into the fridge it went. I did reserve about half and simply froze it in a freezer bag, making sure to remove the air pockets.
I have been thinking more about canning. I’ve never done it, but I think it will be a natural next extension to my gardening and stockpiling ways. I ended up using some of the Amazon credit I’d racked up by using Swagbucks to buy a coupon couple books on canning over the weekend: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
So did my homemade version of strawberry jam work for my kids?
What should I make next? I definitely need to work on my bread making skills, but I’ve been kickin’ around the idea of making homemade yogurt. A couple of you also suggested bagels. Other thoughts?
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Ooh! With strawberry picking starting soon, this will be a great idea to use them!
Now I’m really looking forward to strawberry season.
I started canning two summers ago. It’s much easier than I thought. With large pots of boiling water, it gets pretty hot in the kitchen, but it’s not difficult. One suggestion before you buy a canning book is to get one from the library to see if canning is something you want to continue doing.
As for yogurt – - – super easy, especially if you use the crock pot method.
I’m liking the idea of yogurt more and more! Good for me I paid $0.00 OOP for the books!
Homemade soft pretzels are tasty and fun for the kids to shape. They also freeze well. Tortillas are also easy to make and freeze well. I just received Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook and there are a lot of homemade recipes in there. She also has a website with many ideas. thepioneerwoman.com
Go ahead and make your yogurt I made some this weekend — easy breezy.
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Heat 1/2 gal milk + 1 c dried milk in a double boiler to 185 and hold for 30 mins (I’m told this helps thicken)
Cool in an ice bath to 110 degrees add 2-3 tablespoons of Dannon plain yogurt or starter cultures.
Cover pot with lid and place on heating pad for 7-8 hrs. I have to put mine on a heating pad in my oven with the door closed to keep the temp at 110. You can do it however works best for you as long as you can keep it at about 110- that’s where yogurt is happy
Whisk it until smooth and pour into containers. Once it has cooled down it is ready to go!
Do it over night and you wake up with yummy yogurt for half the price.
Use your swagbucks to buy an ice cream maker. It’s so yummy and when you make it at home you know exactly what’s in it. They also have a nice one at Costco right now. It’s not too expensive and comes with an extra bowl.
I want to try canning salsa this summer! and I’m with you about the bread thing… I really want to find a recipe that works for me because I would love to make homemade bread!
You know you have “coupons on the brain” when you mean to type “couple” and “coupon” is what returns.
WHOOPS!! Thanks!
Some of my fondest memories with my mother are the summer days spent making jam. We would get up and go pick blackberries, then come home and make them into jam. When I open a jar in the winter time, I swear I can feel the summer sun. I can’t wait till my own children are old enough to share this with me. Its a great family activity- and hello! almost free if you pick the berries yourself!
ps. we were always certain to pick berries we knew had not been sprayed with chemicals.
I made strawberry jam for the first time a few months back. I don’t think that I will go back to the store bought since we are trying to eliminate high fructose corn syrup from our diets. Here is a link to make freezer jam with berries with sucanat (evaporated cane juice). It uses a lot less “sugar” and tastes wonderful!
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/07/no-cook-freezer-jam-naturally-sweetened.html
Also, I LOVE THE PIONEER WOMAN!!!
OK OK already with this Pioneer Woman!! I will check her out! LOL! I think that’s seriously about half a dozen times now she’s been mentioned in the comments. Must be a worthwhile site!
Making Bagels is easy. I make whole wheat mini bagels about once a month. My kids love them. Canning is pretty easy as well (I don’t do it nearly as often though). If you’d like a recipe or some tips. Drop me an e-mail, I’d be happy to share.
Danna
Maple Valley, WA
Thank you for posting this
Homemade jam and preserves taste so much better than store bought.
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