how to make strawberry jam

With Mother's Day around the corner, I'm sure you've been thinking about what you want to give. This past weekend, we went to Tampa and got to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom and this weekend we will be celebrating it with my mom in law. My mom and grandmothers loved the jam! I can't wait for their taste review.

Last year for Mother's Day I made a homemade sugar scrub, so to stick with the personal gift tradition this year I decided on homemade strawberry vanilla jam. This was my very first attempt with both making jam and canning. Both were a little intimidating at first, but once I got started, it went pretty smoothly.

Homemade Strawberry Vanilla Jam:
-square piece of fabric
-mason jar
-bakers twine
- jar tag on cardstock
.......
- 2 lb strawberries
- 1 tsp honey
-1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 c sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 box pectin (found at whole foods)

1. Wash jars and lids. Let dry. (always use new lids for your jars - old ones are unlikely to seal)

2. Wash and chop strawberries. I used a food processor to blend down leaving a few chunks.
3. In a sauce pan, heat crushed strawberries and lemon juice. Stir in pectin and bring to a full boil. Stir constantly.
4. Add sugar, honey and vanilla until dissolved. Let boil - continue to stir.
5. Remove from heat and skim off foam from top.
6. Ladle jam into jars.
7. Once jam is placed inside jar after cooking, place in large pot of boiling water with lid on. Let sit for 12 mins. Carefully take out and let sit on counter for up to 24 hours. During this time, the jar should create a seal. Now the jam can be left on the counter unopened for around 2 months. Once opened though, place in refrigerator.

Pretty simple right?! Have fun!