This was the last weekend for spring strawberries in Michigan. (we may get another run this fall) The hot, dry, Michigan summer has rolled in and that means the end of strawberry season.
Since we attempt to eat seasonally, and we like strawberries, it made sense to preserve about a flat of berries as jam to have throughout the rest of the year.
I did a test run with California strawberries earlier this spring, and made a case of freezer jam. This time, however, I hot packed and and did a water bath on the jars to eliminate the need to freeze or refrigerate the jam as long as the jar is sealed.
I processed the berries into a low sugar jam (8 jars) and regular sugar jam (5 jars). This was done by pureeing the berries, heating them on the stove, adding the appropriate quantity of pectin, bringing the mix to a hard boil, stirring in the sugar, reboiling, and packing into prepared jars.
I got real creative with a small batch of strawberry-lavender jam, using fresh lavender blossoms from the garden. (Recipe will be posted soon!) I used local honey as a sweetener, instead of sugar, and added a hint of vanilla. I can’t wait to try it out on some fresh scones.
All together, the jam making process dominated my Sunday. It was a sticky mess and made the kitchen pretty warm but the results were rewarding.
Check back in for my strawberry-lavender jam recipe!
