I’ve been watching the strawberry stand not 10 minutes from my house all week waiting for the first batch of strawberries to come in. The first batch is always the best. There is nothing like fresh strawberries. They are simply amazing. Like my mom said, they smell like strawberries and they are red all the way through! I goofed around and didn’t make any jam last year and we ran out and it was sad.  Not going to happen again.

I hurried down when I heard they were in and bought some. My car smelled like heaven. Stopped at the store for sugar and pectin. (the liquid kind) and some lids and came home and made some jam.

I started chopping up the strawberries and as expected Jack shows up. He got the one over ripe one. Poor guy. I started giving him the really afflicted ones, there were a few. He really likes strawberries. Caps and all.

The recipe calls for 4 cups of mashed strawberries. I did not measure one bit while chopping and mashing. I cook it a bit to help break it down while mashing and then poured it all in my measuring cup and it was on the 4 cup on the dot! I was impressed!! See! My thoughts…. when I was helping my dad put in his garden last week several times we had just enough of something, just enough fertilizer for the 5 rows of pink-eyed purple hull peas, or enough water in the bucket to give each tomato plant 2 bowls of water, or just enough seeds. First I thought it coincidental, then no, it’s experience, it’s years of planting a garden. So maybe, just maybe it’s from years of me making strawberry jam. :)

Do you guys do this trick instead of the boiling the jars in the pot method?? You need too!!! Do everything according to the recipe. Then after you put the lids and the bands on you turn them upside down for about 8 to 10 minutes and then turn them back over. I don’t time it. I usually clean up and then turn them over.

Start the biscuits or the second batch and you will be hearing pings before long. I love that sound!!

Oh my, the jam was so delicious. I treated myself to some biscuits and ate what didn’t fit into a jar and a second cup of coffee. It’s Kevin’s favorite jam. Blackberry is mine, but today I believe it is my favorite as well. Thank you for reading and I hope it’s strawberry season soon where you are too.

Katey