A Very Berry Spring

“Economical people will seldom use preserves, except for sickness. They are unhealthy, expensive, and useless to those who are well.”

– Lydia M. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1832)

      Oh, Mrs. Child, why must you be so disapproving of my jellies, jams and preserves?  Sure, they were expensive in your day with the cost of sugar and all, but when I can make some jam for under a dollar a jar (and most of the time between $0.50 and $0.75), it’s a beautiful thing.  Yes, they may be unhealthy with all that sugar, but if I’m going to eat peanut butter and jelly either way, I might as well make my own! 

Jars of Strawberry Jam Cooling in the Living Room

       There was a surprise awaiting us in the grocery store this past week – strawberries!  Piles and piles and piles of strawberries, and since my husband was with me (and I made the mistake of saying these berries at $0.99/lb. were much cheaper than if I waited to pick our own during the local season for $3.00/lb. jam), we left the store with sixteen pounds of them. 

      Now, before I hear from someone about how these strawberries are not organic, nor local, and we should be using both, I must confess, I sometimes go for things that are more cost effective rather than 100% healthy.  We presently can’t decide where to put or exactly how we’d like to grow don’t have strawberry plants.  With strawberry plants of our own we’d have the ability to make them as organic or inorganic as our hearts desired, but until then I’m washing the berries and hoping all the chemicals come off with the water. 

Strawberries Waiting on the Kitchen Table

Ingredients:

11 mounded cups of diced strawberries

13 cups of granulated sugar

½ cup lemon juice

2 packages of powdered fruit pectin (or a mounded 2/3 cup of dutch gel)

Directions:

Step 1: Wash the berries thoroughly and remove tops and any bruised/bad spots.

Step 2: Dice the strawberries to allow for a smoother chunky jam. 

Step 3: Mash the strawberries with a potato masher in a stockpot.  The chunkier you’d like your jam, the less you should mash your berries.  Heat the mashed berries on the stove over medium heat with pectin/dutch gel and lemon juice.  Bring to a full rolling boil.

Step 4: Add all the sugar at once and stir constantly, return to a full rolling boil.  (A full rolling boil is a boil that cannot be stirred down).  Boil for a complete minute and begin to fill jars.

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, leaving a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of headspace on each jar.  Wipe rims clean and place lids and bands on tightly.  Process jelly jars for 10 minutes in a water bath canner.  Remove from the canner.  Place jars, upright, on cookie racks or clean dish towels to cool for at least 24 hours. 

Yields approximately 19 jelly jars (8oz.).

And last, but not least – label the jars and load up the pantry!