Strawberry Season

So, in my neck of the woods it is strawberry time.  I see strawberries practically lined up along the street at stands on my way to and from Caleb's school, as well as signs posted all over inviting me to come pick my own.  If you want to bottle up that delicious smell and beautiful color and enjoy it all year long there is only one thing to do.  Make jam.  Here is my recipe:

3 lbs. fresh strawberries
3 C sugar
2 lemons

1.  clean, hull and slice your berries and add to a large pot over low to medium low heat.
2.  add sugar and stir to coat and dissolve
3.  add the juice from both lemons and a little of the zest.
4.  watch for mixture to boil, stirring occasionally.  Once it reaches a full rolling boil the jam should cook for twenty minutes and be stirred every five.
5.  test for doneness by placing a glass saucer in the freezer before you get busy with your berries and pulling it out at the twenty minute cook mark, use a spoon to dollop a small amount of jam on the back of the plate and tilt it to see if the jam runs down or seems to have jelled.  If jam is still runny, continue to cook testing every five minutes.
6.  fill canning jar(s) to within 1/4" of full and close tightly.


Yum.....  this jam is delicious and with no fancy jell agents or corn syrup or extra flavoring additives it really concentrates that pure, ripe strawberry flavor.  And if you are patient and resist the temptation to turn up the heat you will find this recipe super simple.  Enjoy!!