Strawberry Jam

Costco had the biggest container of strawberries ever!  I love Costco - time for some strawberry jam.

To begin, I washed the strawberries and cut the top off.  I cut the strawberries into smaller chunks and put them in a sauce pan.

I ended up with about 6 cups of strawberries.  To this I added 3 cups of sugar.  If you read a jelly or jam recipe, it will usually call for more sugar.  I always find that I need to cut the sugar almost in half otherwise it is too sweet.

I added 10 tablespoons of pectin and 2 teaspoons of butter to counteract any foam that might form.

As that cooked, I took my potato masher and helped break the strawberries apart.  I like chunky jam, but I don't want HUGE hunks.

To help avoid a big mess, I use a canning funnel to get the jelly into hot, sterilized jars.  An easy way to sterilize your canning jars is to stick them in the dishwasher and run it.  Make sure your jars are hot when you put the jelly in.  Otherwise, the jars might break.

Leave about 1/4 inch head space from the top of the jar.  Wipe off the rim of the jar to make sure that the lid will seal.  Put the lids in boiling water and put them on top of the jars.

The jelly needs to be processed in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.  After that time, remove the jars and let them cool.  As they cool, the jars will seal.  You will know that they are sealing because you will hear a popping sound.

After the jars are cooled, press your finger on the lid.  If you can press the lid up and down, the lid didn't seal.  Refrigerate that jar and use it first.

Canning is easy and a lost art!  I taught myself how to do this and if I can, you can too!  Enjoy!