Jam Making 101

I don't know how old I was when I first ate "store-bought" jam, but it could easily have been not until I went away to university. Preserving was a summer ritual at home, and next door at my grandmother's house. Mounds of berries would be crushed, cheescloth bags would hang in the pantry dripping juice for jelly-making, and of course the houses would be filled with the unmistakable and delectable aromas.

Once I had my own household, though, it was a task I viewed with some trepidation. I remembered it as such a huge undertaking! I wanted to make homemade jam since nothing else compares to it in flavour, but couldn't bring myself to commit whole days to it. What I failed to realize was that the marathons of preserving I remembered from childhood were for batches and batches of jam and jelly and marmalade and other preserves--not a single batch! When I finally tackled the task I was amazed at how quick and easy it actually is. I made strawberry jam this morning and thought I would share the process, in case anyone out there is wishing they could do the same but feeling daunted.

As you can see in the first picture, start by washing and hulling enough berries to yield 3 3/4 cups when crushed. If you can find a helper to crush the berries, so much the better. My son wanted to help but deserted me after a few minutes, claiming it was too hard and the crushed berries were now "gross." ;) The berries go into your (very) large pot or Dutch oven.

Meanwhile, clean jars should go into the oven for sterilizing, as well as any other glass or metal implements you might be using (the glass measuring cup is for scooping up and pouring the jam into the bottles). Jar lids go into a pot of water, are brought to a boil for about 30 seconds, then taken off the heat until we're ready for them. Since it's impossible to estimate exactly how much jam will result from the batch, I always prepare a few extra jars and try to have a couple of sizes available.

Next we add lemon juice, sugar, and/or other ingredients as the recipe requires, and turn on the heat. While waiting for the jam mixture to come to a boil, you can get a jump on the cleanup if you want, since you won't be needing the bowl you crushed the berries in, the masher, or the measuring cup again.

The jam must come to a boil, and boil hard for one minute. I stir the jam during this minute to keep the pot from boiling over, but it's wise to wear oven mitts as the hot jam is very bubbly and can give you a nasty burn.

After the jam has boiled for the minute, it's removed from the heat and fruit pectin is added according to the recipe. Then the jam is stirred for five minutes and we skim off the pink foam that boiling has caused to form. When I was a child, a little dish of this skimmed foam was a great treat!

Now to put it in the jars. Use the sterilized utensils to fill each jar to within 1/4 inch of the top. Be careful! The jars and utensils are hot and you'll have to wear oven mitts through this procedure. It's a bit awkward, but do-able.

Seal the jars with two-piece lids, tightening the rings firmly and being careful to touch the lids as little as possible (and just by the edges). Remember the jars are hot! Now, the question of processing arises. Processing means putting the sealed jars back into boiling water for ten minutes or so, to further reduce the risk of spoilage. Many people won't make jam without processing the jars, but I never have and also have never had jam spoil, even after a year in the cupboard. So it's your call. I also suspect the type of pectin used may be a factor in this, so be sure to read your directions carefully.

While you finish the cleanup, it's time for my favorite part--listening for the "ping" of the jar lids as they cool and seal down tight. Each one makes me smile. Any jar that doesn't ping should be refrigerated and used first. Time elapsed for the entire process? About an hour and a half, including cleanup. I think that's a reasonable time investment for such a delicious return.

There are many jam-making resources on the Internet which will give you much more detail than this, but I wanted to emphasize that it's not really a huge task, and very rewarding. Best done without little people underfoot for the actual cooking and bottling process, just for safety's sake. Try it!