When strawberries are at their peak locally, there is nothing better! Freshly picked, still warm from the sun, they burst with a ripe sweetness. When I was a little girl, we lived across the street from berry farmers: old Eli and Katie Troyer, in Hartville, Ohio. When the berries were ripe, they would hire the neighbor kids to harvest them. I still remember that proud day in June of 1968, when at the ripe age of six, I was old enough to follow my siblings to the berry fields across the street. I had to pick a trial quart for Katie to check to be sure that I was capable of selecting only the fully ripe berries. We were paid a dime for each quart that we picked. I feel quite sure that most of my hard earned money went to Berg's in downtown Hartville, to buy candy. Eli and Katie tried to be a constant presence in the picking fields to supervise, but sometimes they would get called away to take care of customers. It was open season then; the older boys would have target practice on the working, bent over children, using rotten strawberries for ammunition. I knew better than to cry or tattle, but learned to keep a sharp eye out when the adults left.
Throughout my childhood, in the various places that we lived, we always found places to harvest our own fresh fruit and produce, to can or freeze for the winter. Here is an old photo showing a table filled with quarts of strawberries that we had picked.
Recently, I opened my large, reserve, freezer in my garage, and when I saw this image, I was reminded of an old Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme:
Old Mother Hubbard, Went to the cupboard, To get her poor dog a bone; But when she came there, The cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none.
This childhood ditty actually has a personal verse, long ago archived for this moment:
Young Domestic Goddess, Went to the freezer, To get her dear family some jam; But when she came there, The freezer was bare, And so she said, "Bam" (okay, what did you think she said?!), and went to the produce stand and bought fresh strawberries and whipped out five batches of jam. (Yes, I agree; it does still need some work. Maybe it should say "Middle-aged Domestic Goddess").
There are several ways to make jam, but this is by far, my favorite. First of all, it is the easiest method. And second, the freezer jam retains its fresh, vibrant color and taste, as opposed to canned jam, which has a darker, more processed result. This recipe uses a fruit pectin product called "Sure Jell", to thicken it. The directions warn you within an inch of your life, not to double or triple batches, that the jam will not set up. In my humble, domestic goddess experience, you can double the recipe on the box, and if you are fastidious with measurements, it all works out fine. The recipe that I am printing here is a double batch, resulting in 11 cup-sized jars filled with ruby red nectar of the gods. If you have any young children failing in school, demurely hand a jar of this jam to their teacher and just see if the grades don't improve! It has magical powers. Be forewarned however, before you see the list of ingredients, the amount of sugar used in making jam is astonishing! Fortunately, you just eat a spoonful or so with that piece of toast, so it will not send you into a diabetic coma.
Strawberry Freezer Jam
4 cups crushed strawberries (buy 2 quarts fully ripe berries)
8 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 pkg. SURE JELL Fruit Pectin
Wash and drain the strawberries; remove the hulls and slice the larger ones in half. For crushing, I use this handy, berry chopper that I received over 30 years ago as a wedding gift. Assuming that amazon no longer carries this gadget for sale, I am guessing that you could pulse the berries in a food processor. I myself am a fan of doing this step by hand. Measure exactly four cups of crushed berries into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, measure eight cups of sugar. Add the sugar to the berries, stirring to dissolve. Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, have the glass, cup jam jars washed and drying, along with rings for the lids. Place the new, flat disc part of the caps into a pan with water and bring to a simmer, to help the jars to seal once they are filled. In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and 2 packages of SURE JELL. Over medium high heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow to boil for one minute, continually stirring the mixture. Add to the fruit/sugar mixture and stir with a large spoon for a full three minutes, taking care to scrape around the edges of the bowl. Carefully fill the jam jars nearly to the top. This amount of jam should be enough for 11 cup sized jars. With a clean, wet dish rag, wipe around the rims of the jars. Place the hot lids on the jars and screw a ring tightly on each one. Let the jars stand at room temperature for 24 hours before placing in the freezer. This jam will keep for nearly a month in the refrigerator or for up to a year in the freezer.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to celebrate the union of this sandwich, the peanut butter and the jam. Was there ever a better match made in heaven than the PB & J? I think not. When the peanut butter is thick and creamy on one piece of bread and the jam is homemade, sweet and oozing on the other, it is a marriage meant to stick. When thus joined together, let no man pull it asunder.
