Eating Locally in the Pacific Northwest

A Strawberry Jamboree

I was recently reminded of small batch jam making, which simply means that you make a few jars at a time and repeat the process whenever you have an hour and a few cups of fruit to spare.

Making jam is a delectable experience, and afterward jars of luminous preserved strawberries appear in the pantry.  Overbearing to-do lists, if I’m not careful, can seem more important than a basic endeavor like preserving food. Used to be our survival depended on it. Anyway. . . this small batch approach was an efficient and satisfying alternative to rolling up my sleeves and spending hours canning a couple of dozen jars.

I used the simplest whole foods, just strawberries and honey, a bit of lemon juice. The jars of crimson deliciousness are something to behold, a beautiful sight in the cupboard and even better in the mouth - the essence of strawberry on a piece of toast.

I had about 4 cups of strawberries that needed to be eaten immediately so I decided to make a small batch and not fuss about it. A Saturday morning, I said to myself ‘just do it’, and start to finish it took about an hour, truly.

Jars, seals and lids in the basement, I grabbed three of each, washed them thoroughly, placed them in a pot of barely simmering water and got down to it. Here’s the routine: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil for the purpose of processing the jam later on. Clean and roughly slice four cups of strawberries and simmer gently in a saucepan for eight - ten minutes; smash the pulp gently and add 1/3 -1/2 cup honey, a tablespoon of lemon juice and simmer for a few more minutes. Adjust sweetness to taste, and remember honey is sweeter than sugar and a little bit packs a big punch. The mixture thickens and reduces, it’s time to fill jars and process. (Find out more about processing from resources below.) This version, an experiment using honey instead of sugar and no added pectin, is thick enough and perfect on toast, a hotcake or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Making and preserving jam is another small action toward sustainable living, and it’s not so mysterious once you get organized. And within the realm of our daily tasks, this one is satisfying. Lots more fruit coming on in the next few weeks – let the Jamberree begin.

Before making jam, acquire a book or two, or use reliable online resources for technical information. Below are two links to informative sites, book suggestions, and a video about small batch jam making.

Website: Small Batch, Fresh Strawberry Jam

Website: How to Make Jam – Easily!

Website: From Planet Green, Preserving the Harvest: Making Strawberry Jam

Two well-used books that are constantly helpful resources about preserving food:

Stocking Up, The Third Edition of the Classic Preserving Guide

Putting Food By

Thanks to Cooking Up A Story for another wonderful video, this one on small batch jam making.

Posted under: Eat Local, On the Local Table, Pantry, Produce, Small Actions