Sunday, April 17, 2011

Strawberry Jam

Who can resist strawberries in the summer?  Well for most of you its probably spring, but here its pretty much always summer!  So the strawberries are already going on sale at the farmers market (along with a bunch of kale).  Woo Hoo!
So we took some strawberries and turned them into jam. We found an easy recipe... and I had three eager helpers with the stirring, which made it even easier!
I used this recipe http://www.marthastewart.com/264063/quick-strawberry-jam?czone=food/brunch-center/brunch-baked-sweets loosely and it turned out delicious.  Heres our version:
4 lbs. strawberries, stems off (actually a little less since we snacked on them while we took off the stems!)
1 C. sugar
3 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Chop up the berries in small batches in the blender (very coarsely).
Throw them in a pot with the sugar and lemon juice and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly (about 15 min.) stirring constantly so it doesn't burn on the bottom.
Pour into jars, cover and let cool.  This made about 44 ounces of jam
 It is the most beautiful color of red that I have ever seen in my life.  I'd probably have to make it again even if it didn't taste so good just so I could have that color around.  I recommend putting it on something lighter than a bagel....like a biscuit or a scone, but we ate those up too fast and I forgot to take pictures.
Besides that, all you need is a cup of tea (hot or cold depending on your weather of the moment).  

Enjoy!
-Jen