We're Jammin' with strawberries and rhubarb

Have you ever made Jam?  As lady genevieve and I were strawberry picking last week, I overheard a girl say she would love to learn how to make jam.  I felt the same way a number of years ago after I had picked way more berries than my household could ever eat.  Lady Sarah, a friend of mine, came strawberry picking with me and then slaved away to help me make 2 batches of jam- Strawberry & Strawberry Rhubarb.  That was a lot of jam!  After that, I decided that jam was a little too much work for me, and I would stick to freezing fruit for smoothies instead.  Since that time, I have come back around and do a little freezing and a little jammin'.  Jammin' is much easier is single batches.

Lady genevieve will be moving up to a new class in a couple weeks.  With some of the berries we had left from our picking adventure last week, I made a batch of Strawberry Rhubarb jam for her teachers, to say "thank you."

I used a recipe from the "Blue Book guide to preserving".  

2 cups crushed strawberries

2 cups chopped rhubarb (about 4 stalks)

1 package powdered pectin

1/4 cup lemon juice

5 1/2 cups sugar

Combine strawberries, rhubarb, powdered pectin and lemon juice in a large sauce pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.  Return to a rolling boil.  Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim foam if necessary.  Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-in. head space.  Adjust 2 piece caps.  Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.  Yields about 6 1/2 pints.

A simple canning kit has a few handy tools to make canning easier.  I only use the jar lifter and canning funnel.  But they also include tongs, magnetic lid wand, and jar wrench. They can be found at grocery stores or online.  The "Ball Blue Book guide to preserving" has instructions on how to can almost everything, and lots of different recipes.  I have found it a great reference over the years.  However, you can find pretty much anything you need to know online.

First you need to sterilize your jars & lids.  I boil all parts in water for 5 minutes.  I do not have a special boiling-water canner, but instead just use a big pot with strainer insert (not sure what to call it?).  I boil my jars, and leave the water boiling while I fill my jars so it's still hot when I process the filled jars.  It is important that your jars be hot when you are filling them with the hot jam filling.

After chopping and crushing your fruit, mix it with pectin and lemon juice.  Bring mixture to a rolling boil.

Jam making pot (left) & Jar sterilizing/ Jam Processing Pot (right)

Once you've reached a steady boil, then add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Once dissolved, then bring to a hard boil for 1 minute.  Remove from head.  Skim off foam and discard.  Then using funnel, fill each jar to 1/4 inch from top.  Be sure to wipe rim of jar clean & dry before placing lid on top.  

Then place 2 part lids onto jar and tighten.  Use can gripper to gently place filled jars into the Pot of boiling water for processing for 10 minutes.  Allow to remain in pot for additional 5 minutes, then remove jars.  Set upright on a dry towel to cool.  Leave 1-2 inches between jars. Allow cans to cool naturally for 12-24 hours, before checking the seal.  

 Testing the Seals-  After the jars have cooled for 12-24 hours, test the lids to determine if a vacuum seal has formed.  The best method for testing a seal is to press the center of the lid to determine if it is concave; then removed the band and gently try to lift the lid off with your fingertips.  If the center does not flex up and down and you cannot lift the lid off, the lid has a good vacuum seal.

So far a success!  Hopefully the teachers feel loved and look forward to their next bunch of little ones to love on and teach.   I generally like to make a batch of strawberry and a batch of raspberry jams each year.  We're still enjoying the labor of last year, with one jar left to spare.  The wonderful thing about making your own jam is you know what is going into it- as little or as much sugar as you please; organic fruit if you choose; and no added extras.   If you decide to make a batch of jam, be sure to listen to Bob Marley's song, "We're Jammin'" as you are jammin' along!