I Made Strawberry Jam

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Hello friends,
I did something, something momentous. I made some jam.

   I'm not very good at cooking, and I'm only decent at baking. I've just never really learned much about food. But lately, I've been craving a nostalgic treat, one that my grandma used to make on occasion. She turned 80 recently, so I decided it would be the perfect time to make some strawberry jam.

​   My plan for this more laid back post is that I'm just going to walk you through how I made the jam and my thoughts through the process. It definitely was a challenge for me, and I didn't have any prior experience on canning items. So I hope you enjoy the process.

​With that said, let's get into the jam sesh!

   The recipe I used is from the Sure-Jell fruit pectin package. I also referenced an article from MyFoodAndFamily. Something that was detailed in the recipe is the cleanliness of the jars. They required warm water and soap, so that's exactly how I started the adventure.

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   While I let those soak for a bit, I began my strawberry prep.

​   After rinsing the berries, I cut off their stems, chopped them into small bits, and then smashed them down even more with a spoon. If this is too tedious for you, there's the option of just squeezing and smashing them by hand (but for someone with sensitive skin, this wasn't my favorite option). It depends on how much time you're willing to spend on this activity.

   Once all of the strawberries were cut and mashed, I added in the fruit pectin and then prepared the stovetop for the multitasking that would ensue. Since I don't have a canning mechanism to boil my jars properly, I instead decided to place my jars, one by one, in a pot of water, within another pot of boiling water. This warmth, I believe, helps to even further clean and to eventually seal the jar.

   As for the jar lids, I poured some of the excess hot water over them in a more shallow pan.

   Next, I brought the sticky strawberry mess to the stovetop and brought the mixture to a rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling, even when you're stirring it). I then added sugar, which I measured out according to the recipe I referenced; it all depends on how much jam you want to make and how much fruit you purchased.

​   To finish my little project, after the boiling process was complete, I quickly scooped the jam into the jars. It was an incredibly hot and sticky situation, but I finally reached the finish line. While the jars cooled off, I scrubbed the hell out of my kitchen.

   I felt super proud that I actually made jam, and even more proud that I successfully sealed the jars. It's something that is apparently easy to mess up, so I'm glad I actually made this jam, both technically correct and tastefully. Here's a little photo shoot:

   This was an incredibly rewarding, and weirdly humbling, recipe. I gifted a jar to my grandma, since she's the one this treat reminds me of the most. I'm always reminded of her wisdom and her kindness. She actually texted me the following morning and said, "Had your strawberry jam this morning, it was delicious". And honestly, that's the biggest honor I could ever receive.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you liked this casual type of post. It's not often that I bake, if that's what you can even call this. Anyways, remember to keep on grinning.

​Lydia