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Strawberry Jam



Normally, when I make strawberry jam, there is no recipe. This is the close as you're going to get for a recipe from me. Here's the deal though, this stuff is delicious, like don't underestimate the power of a fresh strawberry cooked down with some sugar and a splash of lemon juice.

Step 1: Get some strawberries. Local if possible, if not then as close to local as you can get.

Step 2: Trim the tops and rinse. 

step 2a: Stop take pictures because pretty red berries.

Step 3: Throw berries in a large pot, and a dash of lemon juice, and some sugar. How much depends on how sweet your berries are. You can also do this with honey, though I wouldn't suggest it, because honey is precious and it's best drizzled over the top of fresh berries instead of used to cook with in this situation. 

Step 4: Turn the heat on Medium Low. Once it starts to form a liquid get out your masher and do some mashing, not too much, you want folks to find a whole strawberry and feel like a real winner. 
Step 5: Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until it gets thick enough. There are several ways that you can tell if it's thick enough. One is the freezer plate method. Another is a thermometer up to about 220 F. And the last is to eyeball it. This article right here, is the best one that I've ever found on the topic of done. http://foodinjars.com/2010/07/canning-101-how-to-ensure-that-your-jam-sets/

Step 6: I do not can my jam. I just don't make enough of it to make it worthwhile. So what I do is take a clean mason jar, fill it with warm jam, put on a new seal and a ring. Then I put them in the fridge. We pull them out as we need them. 





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