So, you snagged a reservation or popped into a you-pick berry farm and now you have pounds of delicious, fresh strawberries. You know they won't keep forever, but if you're like us, you can't possibly eat 4 pounds of them in less time than it takes for them to turn. So what now?
The boys wanted to try their hands at making Jelly, but since that uses juice (not the flesh of the fruit), we opted for Jam and here's an easy way to make a small batch of Strawberry (or any berry) jam!
What you need:
- Berries (and lots of them) - we used about 2 lbs
- 1.5 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 Tbs lemon juice (freshly squeezed because you're awesome like that)
- Zest from one medium lemon
- Canning jar(s)
What you do:
- Thoroughly wash the berries
- Cut stems and greens off (discard)
- Slice or dice the berries - we opted for slicing and leaving them "meaty"
- Throw them in a pot with sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat
- Once boiling, add in the lemon juice and zest and let boil, stirring occasionally to keep from burning, for 15 minutes
When the 15 minutes is up, let it cool a little - but not much - before transferring to your jars. The jams should last about 2 weeks, but you can also freeze them!
Enjoy!
