Jam!

 Well, here's procrastination for ya. Two years ago (TWO YEARS!) I bought some jelly jars and pectin, with the intention of learning how to make jam. It never happened. I just had no clue how much fruit I'd need, or if it would be hard to make, and I had never canned anything before.

 So here it is, the summer waning once again, and I still hadn't done it. My sister-in-law Monica gave us some strawberry freezer jam, and we ate the whole container in a few days, and then Madelyn started hounding me to make some more. I put her off because I thought we'd need an obscene amount of fruit.

Folks, it turns out that one batch of freezer jam only requires two cups of crushed strawberries, and that amounts to just one of those 1 lb. clamshell containers at the grocery store! Hello.

 Enter random Doctor Who reference:

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.eusVjJld.dpuf

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.pnYHzc2N.dpuf

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.pnYHzc2N.dpuf

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.pnYHzc2N.dpuf

Clara:  So what’s it made of, time?  I mean, if you can just row right through it it’s got to be made of stuff, like jam’s made of strawberries.  So what’s it made of?
The Doctor:  Well not strawberries.  No.  No, no, no.  That would be unacceptable.

 From "The Rings of Akhaten" Season 7, ep.7

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.eusVjJld.dpuf

 Well, I'd bought four of those clamshells, and I had two boxes of pectin, so I made a double batch. And it was ridiculously easy. Four ingredients! Strawberries, sugar (twice the amount of sugar to strawberries) pectin and water. I chopped the berries in my mini food processor, but you can use a potato masher instead. And if you're making freezer jam, there's no fancy boiling of jars and sealing to worry about. I felt kind of dumb for waiting so long, when it turned out to be so simple.

 Madelyn helped me, and we ended up with 10 cups of jam for our double batch. We only had nine jars, so the other went into a plastic container. I had to chop up the other two containers of strawberries I'd bought to freeze for future jam escapades.

 The Sure-Jell pectin came with the recipe, and it has several variations of freezer jams and cooked jams, too. Immediately after I finished this batch, my mind started racing and I began thinking of the possibilities--and now I want to try making cooked jam to hand out for Christmas neighbor/coworker/family gifts. I'll need to make like 50 jars of it, but whatever. (That escalated quickly...) I'd end up having to make something anyway, and I'd rather get it done now than have to worry about it in December. I think I might try the triple berry recipe.

 Here's one of my frozen jars--I forgot to take pretty pictures before so you'll have to deal with it. Dana over at Made just did a post about this and has tons of beautiful jam photos, if you're into that sort of thing. (I am.)

Freezer jam doesn't set up as firm as cooked jam, but it is so fresh tasting. Yum. I'm going to try it over ice cream, in milkshakes, and over waffles. Or maybe just eat it out of the jar with a spoon--that would work, too.