Homemade Strawberry Jam

How to Make Homemade Strawberry Jam

We needed some jam to go with our homemade peanut butter and I refrained from purchasing any when I was at the store this last time. All I have to say is this blog as brought a WHOLE new meaning to grocery shopping for me! As I wandered up and down the aisles of Aldi, I'd toss something in my cart, snatch it back out, look over the ingredients, and then convince myself I could probably make it myself.  Needless to say this trip took longer than necessary; BUT, I did spend almost half of what I typically do!

Now onto the jam, a heaping pile of strawberries and fresh strawberry jam fill my soul with so many memories from spending Summers in the strawberry fields of Oregon with cousins to Grandma Em's fresh jam ... there's nothing quite like it!

There is nothing special about my recipe today since I simply followed the recipe that came with my fruit pectin, which one of my upcoming posts is going to have to be making jams and jellies without pectin.  Today I used "Sure-Jell: Premium Fruit Pectin" only because I had a box still in my pantry from the last time I had the notion to make jam, which obviously didn't happen. When I get further along into this process I'll share again with some recipes that do not include fruit pectin. If you have ever done this, please share!

I did can these myself using my large stock pot and diy rack using canning rings, so these are pressure sealed and good in the pantry for about a year. The exciting sound of "ping, ping, ping" as the jars cooled after being removed from the boiling water was the sound guaranteeing a good seal!

Duration: Start to finish about 1 hour
Additional Cost: $2.99 for 2 lbs of fresh strawberries (fruit pectin is about $2-$3, but I had on hand)

Cost Comparison: $1.79 for 16 oz Aldi strawberry preserves VS. $1.60 for 16 oz homemade jam

Not a huge savings when you look at the comparison, but I was pretty please with getting 5 jars of jam after only spending $3! 

Today's Question: What is your favorite jam or jelly flavor?