In a Jam

I have been trying to find ways to reduce the amount of food that my family wastes. I swear we buy healthy fruits and veggies with the best of intentions...really! It just always seems like half of everything goes to waste. I purchased a food dehydrator last year to help with this, and it has helped. I have dried kale, cabbage, pineapple, celery, tomatoes, raspberries, zucchini, bananas, oranges, apples, and strawberries so far. My cockatiels love the kale and the strawberries!

Speaking of strawberries, I had a package that was a bit too ripe to for my taste. I love the dried strawberries, they are like candy...but I just didn't have the energy after shoveling the driveway today. Yeah. We got 8 inches of snow overnight! So anyway, what to do with those old berries? I have always wanted to try my hand at making jam. I didn't have any pectin, so I was glad I found this recipe that doesn't require it!

I made half the recipe because I only had one package of berries. So here is what I did:

I washed and cut the green tops off my berries, then pureed them. You can chop them any way you like, but my kids don't really like large chunks in their jam. I added my sugar and mixed well, then I let the mixture sit for 2 hours.

Next, I brought the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Then, I turned it up to medium high and stirred often for 5 minutes. Then I added the lemon juice and stirred and boiled 5 minutes. 

Finally, I poured the jam into jars. It filled 2 12 ounce jelly jars perfectly. 

I couldn't wait to taste it...wow. I will be making this again and again! You can use the boiling water method to seal your jars and keep them for over a year, but I am not going to bother. I have a feeling this small batch won't last long around here! Now off to work on some crocheting and have a snack...pb&j perhaps? Stay crafty! 

                   

                  

-K