Strawberry Jam... I mean sauce

I LOVE making jam for gifts plus I love getting jam for gifts! Which is why I have a question for all you lovely ladies and gents out there... would any of you like to participate in a jam exchange?? The rules are simple, make some homemade jam and send 2 pints (plus anything else you feel like tossing in the box) of it to a person you are given. People won't be paired so the person you are sending to will not be the person sending to you... that way you don't know who you are receiving your jam from! Sounds like fun right?? If I get enough people saying they would be interested I'll do another post with the official rules and info!! Lets hope you're all as excited as I am to do this!


So I wanted to make some strawberry jam... without a ton of sugar... and without pectin... I know I know... it doesn't work... (it does work with raspberries though!! I did it last year... you see raspberries have a natural pectin in them!) So I ended up with a really freakin good strawberry sauce instead! I'm going to try again (since I still have plenty of strawberries!!) using the low sugar pectin... so I'll let you know how that comes out. But in the mean time here is how you make a delicious strawberry jam/sauce.


First step, wash your strawberries and hull them, then toss them into a pot. I have 12 cups here.


Second: Mash the berries, sure you can use a fancy mashing devise or something... me I like to use my hands (make sure you wash them first though please!!)


Third:Add 3 cups of sugar plus the juice of a large lemon, bring to a rolling boil and boil for 20-30 minutes. Foam will form on the top, every so often skim it off with a spoon and put it into a jar to keep. Use said foam to top your morning oatmeal TASTY! I've been using the syrup in my oatmeal as well... and in PB and Jelly sandwiches... a little runny, but freakin good.


At this point it should set up... Mine didn't... So either the place I found this recipe was lying... or I did something wrong lol. I canned it all anyway since it tasted delicious.

Canning is not at all scary... seems like it might be, but it's really not. People seem to think you need a ton of special equipment... the only "special equipment" I'd recommend is a pair of jar tongs. They cost me $3 and were worth every cent... no burning yourself taking the jars of our boiling water!


As for the actual canning part, all you really need is some new mason jars and lids and a big pot (and those tongs I mentioned above!). First you sterilize your jars by boiling them for 10 minutes, remove from the hot water with your tongs and set aside while you make your jam. Sterilize your lids by pouring hot water over them and letting them sit until you need them (this also softens up that wax like ring that seals the jars). Once your jam is ready, pour it into the jars leaving 1/8 inch from the top free. Use a wet towel to clean off any jam you got along the rim (since I know you are all messy), place your lid on and screw the ring down. Using your tongs lower your jars back into that big pot of boiling water (make sure the water is 1-2 inches above the lids of the jars so they are totally submerged). After 10 minutes remove your jars (using your tongs- see why these are worth the $3) and place on a wire rack to cool over night. You will hear them pop as they start to cool and a vacuum forms (so fun!- it's the lid that you hear popping).

It really is that easy. I learned it on a whim last summer and used this resource. It's amazingly detailed and will answer any questions you have!



So back to that exchange... who's in???