Strawberry Jam

     It all started on Saturday at The Strawberry Jam at Terry's Berries in Ventura.  They have this sale one day a year, it's a $1 per pound of berries, and they're already hulled!   As I waited in line I chit-chatted with the people around me and listened to a million ways on how to make jam.  I stepped up to purchase my berries, (which I had no idea what I was going to do with yet) handed them my containers and they asked me how much I wanted...hmmm??   Not exactly sure why, but I bought twenty pounds, I mean how could you not at a dollar a pound, right?  At this point I decided that I too would make jam!  When I got home I called my girlfriend and we made plans to start our jam the next morning. 

     Sunday morning at 9:30 girlfriend shows up.  We had no experience, no canner, and no recipe picked out so we were just going to wing it!  Having never made jam before we each googled several recipes ahead of time, but decided to use one that came with the pectin we bought.  We had 24 jars, 3 boxes of SureJell pectin, and strawberries. 

 

First we had to wash and sterilize the jars and lids.  We washed, crushed, and measured out our strawberries and dumped them into an 8qt. pot.  Next, we stirred in the pectin and a little butter.  The heat went on, we boiled, added the sugar, and boiled again.  The wonderful sticky sweet concoction was ready for jars...a little hot, and a little messy!  Once placed in jars with lids fastened tight we put them in boiling water for ten minutes.  Afterward, set them in the pantry for 24 hrs to set.  That was it they were ready to be given to friends & family!