Matthew 6:34

So don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Good Afternoon!

I have some friends who were interested in learning how to make jam, so I thought I'd put a pictorial post of how to make jam here.  I love pictorials because I learn by doing and pictures are just about as close as someone being here at my house helping me to do it with ONE exception:  Knitting.  Boy did I try to learn on the internet and that was difficult!  But thanks to a good friend of mine, she has gotten me on my way!  

The kids and I had so much fun making jam and Catherine really enjoyed that mom and daughter time!  Baking and doing the basic skills young girls and mothers did so long ago is such a wonderful way to spend the morning! 

Okay so here it goes!

Ingredients: 5 cups crushed strawberries and 7 cups sugar! 

Go to your local farm and pick some yummy strawberries with friends & family!

These two buckets, minus about 1/4 that my little ones ate, made around 10 jars of jam!

Wash your jars and lids.

Washed jars/lids

Bring water to boil on stove and pour over the lids in a separate pot.  Keep off burner and in water until ready to use.  I also, per my Grandma's instructions, pour the hot water over my jars as well!

 Lids over hot water.

 Jars over hot water!

Discard stems and crush strawberries.

 Catherine crushing strawberries!

Measure exact amount of prepared fruit (5 cups) into a 6 or 8 quart sauce pot. 

Stir in 1 box pectin into fruit in saucepot.

 Strawberries on stove.

Measure exact amount of sugar into a separate bowl. (7 cups)

Bring strawberry mixture in saucepot to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.

Ladle into prepared jars! Fill within 1/8 inch of tops. Cover with lids and screw bands tightly.

Filling jars!

I use the inversion method (instead of boiling water bath method) so after I fill the jars and screw the bands on tightly, I turn the jar upside down for about 5 minutes, then turn upright.  All of my jars sealed!  Sometimes I leave them for a bit longer than 5 minutes to ensure proper seal.  If not, just eat the jar of jam that didn't seal first!

 Inversion method!

 Yummy Strawberry Jam!  Notice I used bigger jars!  My kids are jam monsters!

Enjoy! and Blessings !