This Is My Jam

Saturday morning, inspired by The Gourmet Project, I made jam. After consultation with Sharon, Pat, and one of my students (the only three people who have ever given me homemade jam), I was ready to take the plunge. I got up early to get to the farmer's market and bought some amazing strawberries. This flat cost $32. Not cheap, but I used only 3/4 or so for the jam.


Mmmm....don't those look so good. I got to washing and hulling these guys. I tripled the recipe, which meant 9 pounds of strawberries (13.5 pints). Here's why I thank myself for investing in my beast of a Le Creuset.

This is the jam after about 30 minutes of simmering with the obscene amount of sugar (no pectin). You see that light-colored stuff. That's some foam that I was supposed to be skimming off. I did...and it was tedious. I cooked the jam for about 30 minutes longer than the recipe to get the right consistency. Then the jarring...I needed four more jars than I had, so I just had to throw the stuff in some jars I had and commit to eating jam in the next four weeks since they weren't sealed. I also followed the advice of Pat and my student who said the water bath wasn't necessary. After putting "the very hot jam in the very hot jar and screwing on the very hot top," Pat wrote, flip the jar upside down on a rack for 5-10 minutes. Then flip it right-side-up and you'll hear the seal pop a few minutes later. Seems to have worked like a charm.

Here's the final product:


I like this picture because my camera seemed to focus on my lemon tree. Man, that tree has come in handy. It even contributed to the jam. Pat says that a good jam should run when you turn the jar to the side. This one does. I think it might be a bit too sweet, but Bec, Adam, and I didn't mind as we wolfed it down this morning after the race. There will definitely be more jam making in my future. My student, Julia, gave me a good recipe for plum jam...hers was amazing, made with home grown plums.

I'm looking forward to the possibility of making fig jam in August. My only question now is how many jams do I keep for myself and how many do I give away?

Final shout out to: Hopkins Blue Jay Baseball on their way to the College World Series, Hopkins Men's Lacrosse for turning a tough season into a Final Four berth, the Celtics for beating the Cavs, and the Sox for the winning weekend. Also, a shout out to Jacoby Ellsbury for his MLB streak of 25 stolen bases without being caught once, which ended this weekend (putting him third on the streak list, all-time). You know how much I love a good base stealer (and obviously someone who can turn a quick double play).