Strawberries!!!

It's that time of year again! Time to pick strawberries!!! We're lucky to have quite a few places nearby that we can go to to pick nice, fresh, great tasting berries. And, it turns out, this is one of the crazy kids' favorite things to do.

They just take right off when we get to the fields! They love it!!

Many of the farms have extra activities available, especially on weekends. Us being crazy homeschoolers, we like to go during the school day when it isn't too busy. That way we can get there early, pick our berries (or actually eat them in the case of the crazy kids...I'm the one who usually does most of the picking), see some animals and head on home to get our lessons done. If we're having an especially easy schooling day, we'll sometimes bring our lunches so we can stay longer (and grab an ice cream, afterwards).

Looking at the baby sheep and feeding the chickens

The entire experience is a blast! We'll go out multiple times to pick lots of different berries. Each time we go, I say to myself that we're not going to get too many berries this time...just enough to entertain ourselves. And each time we come back with a big pot full of them.

Mmmm, FANTASTIC!

So, I've taken to making strawberry jam. I usually make one batch, which fills up about 3 half pint jars. The rest of the berries I freeze, so that I'll have some left over to make more jam later. Making strawberry jam is easy, and it tastes soooo much better than the stuff you buy in the store. Give it a try some time!!

RECIPE:

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

2 pounds of strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 cups of sugar

Juice of one lemon

3 to 4 half pint jars, with lids

NOTE: This recipe is not for preserving! That process is much more complicated, and as I (unfortunately) have no experience with preserving, you should look somewhere else for that. This jam is great for keeping in the fridge and eating right away. Like within a few weeks. It never lasts that long over here, so it's usually not a problem!

Directions:

1. Put all the sliced strawberries in a large cooking pot, and smash them with a potato masher until the juice has released, and you have small chunks of strawberries.

2. Mix in the sugar and lemon juice. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently. You'll probably have to cook it for at least half an hour, so plan accordingly.

3. As the mixture cooks, you'll notice a red foam bubble up to the top. Try to skim off as much of this foam as possible so that your jam isn't cloudy.

4. While the jam mixture cooks, start sterilizing your jars. Place your jars and lids in enough water to cover them. Place over high heat and get them really boiling! Boil for 10 minutes, and then use tongs to take them out and place them on paper towels. Try to get the timing of this to coincide with the jam coming out...you need your jars to be on the warmer side so they don't break when the hot jam is put in them. Don't touch the inside of the jars or lids! And always check manufacturer directions about sterilizing jars. Especially the lids...sometimes the lids have special directions.

5. The jam is done when it turns a deeper red and is thick. It won't be as thick as jam, yet, since it needs to cool. But almost! Give it one last stir, then pour into the jars and get the lids on them. Turn the jars upside down for 10 minutes, and then turn them back over. The jars should seal themselves shortly after. If they don't, make sure to eat that jam right away! Wait until the jars cool down a bit before placing in the fridge, so that the glass doesn't shatter. Refrigerate until cold, and then eat! Yum!

Recipe adapted from a recipe on Rookiemag.com

Homemade strawberry jam!