Home-made Jam

Last night my husband ran to the store to grab something we needed with supper, and found strawberries on sale for $0.50 for a one pound box. He bought two boxes, and they were absolutely delicious!! We ate them all last night for dessert. Mmmm. Nothing beats fresh strawberries. This morning I decided to back to the store to buy a bunch more so I could make my own strawberry jam. I was very disappointed to find that the price had gone up to $0.99 per pound. I'm not really sure what justifies the price doubling over night? Anyway, they were so good, and I was so excited about the prospect of making my own jam, that I bought 10 boxes anyway. And $0.99 doesn't seem like a bad price, anyway. If it is a bad price, don't tell me. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

I've never made my own jam before. I used to help my mom do it every year, but it's been a long time since I've done that. I read about it online, though, it seemed pretty simple, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I did have to go out and buy jars and lids, and I also bought a pair of jar tongs for getting hot jars out of the boiling water. I think this initial batch of jam probably is significantly more expensive than buying store-bought, but it's so tasty, and now I have most of the needed supplies, so it will be less expensive if I do it again.

I wasn't sure how much jam I would be able to make with the amount of strawberries I bought, but after making one batch I think I have enough to make 2 more batches. That will be 12 jars of jam! I am thrilled! I have to take a break from making it, because I ran out of sugar (I had no idea how much it takes!). But as soon as my Sweet Pea wakes up from her nap, or my husband gets home from work, I'm off to the store to get more sugar and finish making this sweet treat. Here's a picture of my first batch. The feeling of satisfaction I get from having worked to preserve my own jam is invigorating!