June 19, 2015
After we picked the strawberries, we came home to our house and had a quick lunch and then got to work, making and canning strawberry jam. I did not know until we began looking at recipes that there is a difference between jelly and jam. I thought it was all the same, but it is not.
Strawberry Jam
4.5 cups crushed strawberries
1 t. lemon juice
1 package pectin
7 cups sugar
some butter
Combine strawberries, lemon juice and pectin, bring to a roaring boil over high heat and boil. Add a bit of butter. Add sugar, return to a roaring boil. Let boil for 1 minutes. Pour into hot, clean jars leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Put cover on, but not tight. Put in rolling water bath for 10 minutes. Removed and let sit for about 24 hours.
Crushing the strawberries.
Cutting the strawberries so they are easier to crush. This is the second step in the process. The first step is to top off the berries. No, we did not wash them, they did not need it and Miss Judy suggested we not do it because that would cause the to get soft and they don’t need to be washed.
Here is the canner.
Pint jars in the water bath getting sterilized. I am so thankful for a big gas stove. It made the entire process go so much quicker.
The entire group working hard. Many hands do make light the work.
Everyone had their job and was part of the group and each job is important.
While we were working hard in the very hot kitchen, Nathan and his friend were practicing ball outside.
Keep on crushing, keep on crushing, cruuuuushing.
Jeremiah hanging out in the swing.
Thomas working on school work.
Crushed strawberry goodness.
Jars waiting to be picked and filled. See the strawberry jam in the pot on the right?
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, pre-jar.
Yes, we are still working on the strawberries.
Miriam and Elianna working hard.
Red stained hands.
It is exhausting work.
More strawberry stained hands, hard working hands.
Pre-jammed crushed strawberries.
Caleb crushing the berries.
The fan that was blowing on us trying to help us not melt into globs of tiredness.
Putting the jam in the jars.
Just enough to fill the last jar.
I wish I would have taken a picture of the jelly jars that we canned. It was a lot of hard work, but the jam is so good, so fresh, so yummy. I was hoping to eat just one a month, but I don’t know that we will make it that long. I know, I know, self control.
Susan
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