strawberry jam.....mmmmmmm

Yesterday I made some oh so yummy strawberry jam.

It took some time, a lot of stirring, but overall was pretty easy.
And you don't have to deal with canning.

First things first, you have to get some of this:
(don't make the mistake of getting just any fruit pectin, you have to have FREEZER kind or this kind SURE JELL MCP)
Which can be tricky to find. Trust me, I tried for the past two years here in the North East & no luck. Finally my dearest mother sent me some.

This was my first time successfully making freezer jam
(I tried two years ago, it never turned into jam, so we used it as strawberry syrup), yahoo!

We took a lovely trip out of the city & into the country side to pick some strawberries.
Or you can be boring & a just buy some from the store. Wash & cut the fully ripe strawberries & smash with a potato smasher.

The specific instructions are in the box & you MUST follow them very carefully, or else it won't turn out.

After stirring for over an hour, I thought, "Why didn't I use my KitchenAid Mixer!"
But it was too late. So if you have some kind of big mixer I would try that, it might make it a little easier.

Follow the rest of the instructions & you'll have some yummy jam in no time!

And if you want to make some DELICIOUS homemade bread (also, SO EASY) go here.
It's my new favorite whole wheat bread recipe, we will be using frequently.

I can't wait for raspberry & peach season....oooh maybe grapes too, or apricots...so many options.