Strawberry Jam

Strawberry jam should be in all households. I can’t live without it! Well, technically I can, but I’d miss it a lot. So I should just say that I’d be sad without it.

Strawberries are tasty. They’re tasty by themselves, sprinkled with sugar, in pie, in baked goods, and most importantly IN JAM. Seriously, what’s better than bottled up strawberries?

Chocolate, if we’re being technical again. However, nothing is better than chocolate in my book.

So back to strawberry jam. It’s tasty. If you don’t like strawberries… well who doesn’t like strawberries!? But if you truly don’t like them, you can make this jam with other berries instead. You could make raspberry, blueberry, or blackberry jam. More yumminess.

My family has been making this recipe for a long time. I’ve been making strawberry jam every summer since I was a wee babe! My grandma would wash and cut the tops off the berries, I would mash them, and my mom would mix them with sugar and Sure-Jell. Making jam together with your family is a fun bonding experience, and it has become a tradition in my house! Hopefully it will become a tradition at your house, too!

The BEST StrawberrY Freezer Jam

instructions found in a Sure-Jell container

makes 5 jam jars worth (5 cups of Jam)

• 1 quart (2 cups) of mashed strawberries
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 Sure-Jell packet (Sure-Jell = fruit pectin)

1. Wash the berries.

2. Cut the stems off them and put them in a container.

3. Mash them.

4. Fill a bowl with 4 cups of sugar.

5. Add the berry mixture into the sugar bowl and mix until combined.

6. Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of water into a saucepan.

7. Add Sure-Jell into the pan.

8. Boil the mixture on medium-high heat. Stir constantly for a minute while boiling. Remove from heat.

9. Add the Sure-Jell mixture into the berry mixture and stir constantly for 3 minutes.

10. Spoon the jam into jam jars. Leave a ½ inch space at the top of the jar.

11. Leave the jars out for 24 hours to let them set.

12. Put the jam in the freezer, and keep it there until you want to use it!

That’s it! Clear, concise directions, right from the mouth of my mom (I understand her directions better than the ones from Sure-Jell).

This jam is great on peanut butter & jELLIE sandwiches, on toast, in these muffins, and by the spoonful! Enjoy!

xx Ellie