Jam Session

There was a young man on the corner with a big smile selling strawberries. They smelled divine when Ally and I went by on our walk, so we went back for a flat.

This is only four baskets - a flat holds twelve. That's a lot to eat, so I made jam. And since it's rhubarb season I added some rhubarb. I pre-cooked the rhubarb, but I didn't need to, it softens quickly.

I used a potato masher (thank you Ann) to smash the berries. You can use a Cuisinart, but there's always one berry that refuses to cooperate, and with a potato masher you can hunt down the recalcitrant berry. Without turning the rest into mush - always a danger with a Cuisinart.

Two cups of rhubarb puree, six cups of smashed strawberries. 

One box of Sure-Jell pectin (yes I know it's better without but I did not have all day) brought to a full rolling boil. Six cups of sugar and back to a full rolling boil (thank you Mrs Westphall my seventh grade home ec teacher). One minute at a rolling boil and then quickly into hot jars, the rims wiped and the lids snugly fastened, then ten minutes in a water bath.

I recycle (Carol are you listening?) so it's a motley collection of jars, but labels from My Own Labels will fizz things up - 

and no one's getting more than one jar so who's to tell the jars don't match? Shhhhhhh. It's divine. It may be harder to share than I thought...