I’m not sharing this because I have any new twist or ideas or recipe.  I just wanted to share it for anyone who didn’t realize how easy it is (like me 10 days ago).   Strawberries were crazy cheap at Publix last week (4 1-lb packages for $5) so I picked up a bunch and started making jam.  I tried 1 no sugar recipe (packet on the right) and 1 lower sugar (reduced by 25% so don’t think we are talking low sugar) recipe on the left.

The no cook no sugar recipe was super simple.  I pulsed the strawberries in my food processor (you can smoosh them with a potato masher if you prefer).  I combined 4 cups strawberries with 1.5 cups Splenda and the pectin from the packet and stirred.  That was it.  It didn’t taste bad but it didn’t taste great either.  I think I would rather just eat strawberries.  The Splenda (which I use in my coffee and tea and like) left a chemical aftertaste that I wasn’t crazy about.

BUT the lower sugar jam?  YUM.  I might possibly have used Ritz crackers to eat it straight out of one of the containers.

How easy was it to make this incredibly good jam?  Easier than I imagined.  Apparently, you want to be very exact in measurements.  I took off the stems and put them in the food processor and pulsed.  Don’t puree – you want it to be chunky.  You want 4 cups (that was about 2 of the 1 lb containers plus a couple of additional strawberries) of crushed strawberries.  Then you combine 3 cups of sugar (this is 1 time to not eyeball things – measure and level it w/the back of a knife) and the pectin.  Add 1 cup of water.  Bring to boil and cook 1 minute stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add strawberries.  Stir for another minute.  Put into containers of choice.  Allow to sit for 1 day to set up.  Freeze or refrigerate.  It will keep in the freezer for up to 12 months.

That is it.  You know have strawberry jam.  Sabrina likes it on her waffles.  The only problem I ran into was the strawberry pieces floated to the top of the containers.  It still tastes great but if the container isn’t shallow you have jam at the top and jelly at the bottom.  Being a jam making novice I have no idea if there is a way to remedy that.

Visit Rachel’s Mouthwatering Mondays for other great recipes.