Hey, Mom

Getting a truly fresh strawberry taste after the season is ended is easy. Sure, I know, you can buy strawberries in the grocery store, but I think those come from a laboratory somewhere. They don’t taste like strawberries grown locally in season. Nothing tastes like those. To keep the taste, make freezer jam, something so easy everyone can do it.

To make three jars of jam, I use Sure-Jell and follow the easy recipe included in the box.

What you need:

• Three containers (I use pint jars), but you can use plastic containers
• 1 box of Sure-Jell
• 1 quart of strawberries (make the jam the same day you pick or buy the fruit; do not let it get overripe)
• 4 cups of sugar
• a large bowl
• various measuring cups (so you won’t have to wash them during the process; I use two one cup and a two cup)
• a large mixing spoon for stirring the strawberry mixture
• a potato masher
• a small saucepan
• a wooden spoon (for stirring the Sure-Jell as it cooks)
• a ladle
• a canning funnel (if you’re using pint jars)
• a timer (I use the one on my stove)

The entire process takes very little time, maybe 40 minutes if you include clean up.

Some hints to help:

• Don’t soak the strawberries in water; rinse them gently in a colander and drain well.
• If you can’t make the jam right away, store strawberries in the refrigerator in a covered container. They will continue to ripen if you leave them out.
• Mash the berries a few at at time, like ten and start measuring. You don’t get them mashed well enough if you do them all at once. Plus, you might waste a few if you mash them all. You only need two cups of mashed berries (including the juice they make).
• Follow the directions, especially the measurements, exactly.

Once you’re done, you’ll have jam that really does taste like fresh strawberries. I guarantee you’ll wish you had made more and you will never again want “store-bought” cooked jam. There is no comparison.

It makes great gifts, too!