My daughter is a huge jam/jelly fan. She likes it on her toast and will have it as frequently as I allow her. We go through it pretty quickly. When it’s on sale I buy what I would call the “good stuff,” but otherwise I stick to the store brand. I don’t care at all for grape jelly, so that rules out the one cheap flavor.
This week strawberries were on sale at my grocery store at the best price they are ever offered for so I decided to try to make jam again. My first experience making jam it set too firm and I’ve hesitated ever since. That was a few years ago though so I thought I’d give it another try. I’m not sure where in the world the berries are in season, but they must be producing by the truckload in order for my grocery store in the northeast to be offering them for $1.49/pint. That’s a very good price here.
Here’s what it cost: $5.96 for 4 pints of strawberries. Approximately $1 worth of sugar and $1 for fruit pectin. A total of $7.96, which yielded 6 jars of jam (4 large jars, 2 medium). Definitely a money-saver. I have one open jar and 5 preserved for later.
I followed the recipe that was right inside the box for strawberry jam and it came out beautifully. I don’t have a canner but you don’t have to have one in order to can (it’s just nicer). I use a big stock pot and haven’t had any trouble getting my jars to process correctly.
I’m really excited that I was able to have a positive experience with this right before the summer. I’m encouraged about doing more canning with fresh, local produce as it becomes available. I want to encourage you, if you haven’t tried canning ever before you should give it a shot. I like that it saves money but I love that I know exactly what’s in that jam my daughter is eating. I won’t have to blink an eye as the summer introduces a wealth of food recalls. Now that feels good.
Why I do what I do ~ Yesterday Chloe said, “Mama, my tummy hurts.” Like any mom would say, I responded, “Do you need to go sit on the potty?” To which she responded, “No, I just need some popcorn. I just need to go to the carnival.” …. What????
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Your daughter and I must be kindred spirits…I LOVE the whole jam/jelly family! Especially on toast made from homemade bread…delicious!
Thanks for sharing this experience. I have thought about doing this, but always thought it was way above my skill level. Thanks for encouraging me to give it a try!
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That looks delicious! Do you use a canner? If so what kind do you use? I am thinking of getting one for this summer’s produce. I would love to try it out!
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Your jam looks great! I have a small patch of raspberry bushes and really enjoy making jelly, syrup, liqueur, and other things when the berries are ripe each year. I even freeze some whole berries or juice so that I can make jelly during the winter.
I find canning extremely satisfying. A good reference that I use a lot is, “The Complete Book of Year-Round Small-Batch Preserving,” by Ellie Topp & Margaret Howard.
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I might actually try this sometime. I almost tried canning last year, but I heard I needed a canner and I didn’t want to buy one. I’m glad to see it can be done without one.
By the way, I love your “Why I do what I do” for today, that is hilarious.
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I love jam. I did my first batch ever with a seasoned pro last fall. It was so nice to have control of the content in the jar. I will also be canning out of our garden this year. Tomatoes, strawberries and cucumber are just the beginning of the list. I would continue to be inspired if you share the other things you plan on canning this year.
Do you have a good (cheap) resource for the jars?
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Here is the post about my experience.
http://modern50shousewife.blogspot.com/2008/08/several-weeks-ago.html
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@Liz – my cheap resource for my jars is that they were “hand-me-downs.” You could also check yard sales. Canning jars are good for a VERY long time. The only thing you’ll want to replace are the lids/bands.
Thank you for the inspiration. I’ve wanted to can fruit and vegetables ever since watching Aunt Bee (who always seemed to be canning something!) on The Andy Griffith Show! Maybe I’ll finally give it a try, since you’ve made it sound easier than I imagined.
Your strawberries probably come from out here in California. We grow a lot here in So Cal and they are super cheap here. Every corner has a strawberry stand selling them. My kids are now sick of them.
An interesting jam discovery we made:
I grew up on a Kiwi farm out here and we tried MANY things with kiwi fruit in them. Jam was one of them. The jam was good, but we couldn’t get over the look of it…green jelly with little black seeds in it. Too weird looking.
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Hi ! I have been making homemade Cinnamon Apple Jelly every year since the “70″s. I give it to family and friends for Christmas. One year I did not make it and I really caught heck from EVERYONE ! I learned a very valuable lesson ! Don’t mess with TRADITION !!! Ha !