Chris: “Hey Morgs, you know what I want to buy the next time we have like a ton of extra cash?”
Morgan: “No, what?”
Chris: “Strawberry Jam”
Morgan: “I have strawberries in the fridge, why don’t I just make you some and save us the oodles of cash that a jar of jam would cost.”
It took 10x longer to track down some pectin than it did to actually make the jam. “Pecta…what?” was the response from 3 separate grocery stores followed by the ever so popular “Yeah, if it’s not on the shelf, we don’t have it.” I’ve never made jam before. I was debating making it a few weeks ago when we went strawberry picking but never got around to it (okay it wasn’t such a fruitful pick- try picking strawberries while nursing a newborn…we were more of the pick and eat variety.)
I had some strawberries left over from the 4th of July cake and so I decided to have a go at it. I do aim to make dreams come true, you know. It was so beyond simple. I just grabbed the smallest package of pectin available which happened to be a ‘no cook’ one. If you can cut up strawberries, mush them, add contents of package and sugar and stir for 3 minutes, you can do this. The recipe I used was on the back of the package (4 cups mushed fruit + 1 1/2 cups sugar.) If you want to see a demo, go here. The jam was DELISH and only had to sit for 30 minutes. I feel a bit like a jam cheater, you know? It’s nothing like the canning experiences I recall witnessing as a child. No steamy, 100 degree kitchen. No rubber gloves (there were rubber gloves, no?) No big canning pot thingamajigg. I mean can I add “Jam Maker” to my kitchen repertoire? I feel so sheepish even suggesting it.
So one of my favorite childhood treats were frozen grapes. Ever tried them? They are good. They really are a treat now especially because grapes purchased ‘on sale’ are $2.50 a lb. (and while I’m complaining about the price of things- I would like it noted that I paid $97.20 to fill up the car this week. Cripes.) Anyway, just wash and let dry and put in the freezer. I’m remembering now that we used to pull them off the stem and throw them in a ziploc bag before freezing, but either way will work. Hope you are all enjoying your Summer!
xoxo
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