Last summer Carrie gifted me with a small jar of strawberry jam and cherry dessert topping. It was so delicious that I dreamt of having a basement full of my own. Now, I know my pickle making from last year was sort of a bust in that I was too afraid to eat them or give them away. My boss ruined that for me when he filled my brain with the threat of botulism. I figured strawberries were completely different, so I went for it.
I set out to the farmer's market Saturday for my fruit. Good thing I chose last weekend because I didn't realize it was the last week for the season. I picked up 4 over-ripe quarts, a few cases of Mason jars from Meijer, and the deal-maker, Sure Jell. Carrie recommended the recipe from Sure Jell's website. Turns out, making jam is pretty easy! I used our immersion blender to grind the strawberries, which worked like a charm (I better tell you that was Brian's idea or he'll be mad. I was just trying to do it with the potato masher.) The most work was the canning process, but even that was simple enough to do. I boiled the jam jars for 10 minutes each. When they cooled they made a cascade of "pops" when each jar sealed. That sound brings a smile to my face. I'm very happy with the results, already ate some (no botulism), and am excited to try out some other fruits before the summer is over. Any recommendations?
3 comments:
Your pickle making was not a bust. I totaly ate all the spears and am going to work my way through the slices soon. It's amazing that the human race made it this far without all dying from botulism! Nonsense. If you follow proper procedures, the risks of infection are very low.
Your jam looks delish! And tell Brian that using the immersion blender is a great idea. I wish we had thought of that (matt just used the potato masher). You should try making peach jam. My mom made some last summer and it was delicious!
i'm obsessed with blueberries lately and apparently it's going to be a fantastic season for pickin' :)
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