I know this post is a little late in the rest of the country, but it's now strawberry season here in Florida.
I received a big box of strawberries, which were very ripe, so I needed to do something with them quickly. I love having jars of jam on hand during the holidays, for un-anticipated gifts and hostess gifts. The original recipe I use is from Sure-Jell, which I started using a few years ago, isn't on their site anymore, but slight variations of the recipe are on there.
I tried my best to document every step, but I was trying to get all the jam canned during one episode of "Curious George", so I missed a few photos. It's best to have everything ready to go before you start cooking the fruit, the whole process moves pretty quickly.
Strawberry Jam
6 cups prepared fruit
1 - 1.75 oz box pectin
1/2 tsp butter
7 cups sugar, measured into a seperate bowl.
Fill the boiling water canner halfway with water and bring it to a simmer. Wash the jars and bands in hot soapy water and rinse with warm water. It is best if the jars and bands are warm when the hot jam is added. My mom would run them in the dishwasher and keep them warm in there until ready to use.
Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use.
Stem berries, and crush them. The more berries you leave whole, the chunkier the jam will be. Measure exactly 6 cups crushed strawberries into the large sauce pot.
Stir pectin into the fruit in the saucepot.
Add butter to reduce foaming (this I forgot) and bring mixture to a full roiling boil on high heat, stirring constantly.
Stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, skim off foam with a metal spoon (again, I forgot...see all the foam?)
OK, this is where my camera was forgotten!
Ladle immediately into jar, filling within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and thread with a damp cloth. Cover with a lid, the screw the band on tightly. Using the canning tong thingys, lift into the canner. When all the jars are in the canner, the water must cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add some water from your lid pot to the canner, if necessary. Cover the canner and bring water to a gentle boil, and process 10 minutes.
Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. This is the best part of the process is when you hear your jars "popping" because you know you did it correctly! After jars cool, check the seals by pressing the middles of the lids, and if they spring back, the lids are not sealed and those should go into the frig.
This is just the way I do it, so I would love any tips or tricks you experienced canners can add!
More squash in my Produce Club!...I don't have a ton of recipes for squash, and I have a limited number of ways to prepare it. I love my slow cooker, and I'm always looking for new recipes for it. Here's what I found at A Year of Slow Cooking and I revised it a little to what I had on hand:
Cut into quarters or smaller pieces.
Put pieces into the slow cooker, cut up the butter and top the pieces with the butter. Top with the orange juice or water.
Cook on High for 3 or less hours, depending on how full the slow cooker is. I scooped out the squash, and put it in a bowl, then sprinkled cinnamon on top.
The verdict?
