MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES

I made jam today. What a good feeling that is. We walked to the Farmers' Market in Menlo Park. Dwarka from New Mexico, who is in town visiting his parents, joined us at the market. We bought the sweetest strawberries and raspberries. I've been waiting all Summer for this opportunity. Last year I made strawberry jam but I wasn't impressed with the results - way too runny for my taste. I've had to wait another year for the fruit to be ready before I could try my hand at jam-making again.
I started with four cups of washed, hulled, halved strawberries. I mashed the strawberries with 3 cups of sugar and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice in the pot where I was going to boil them. I brought that mixture to a boil then added 2 cups of washed strawberries. Everything boiled for about 5 minutes. I made a mixture of 2 tablespoons of pectin with a quarter of a cup of sugar and added that to the boiling mixture. I boiled everything for another minute. Meanwhile, I had another pot of boiling water that was sterilizing the jars and the tops. When the jam cooled a little I filled the jars, put the tops on and put the jars in the boiling water again for 7 minutes to cook and create a seal. The familiar popping sound was the signal that everything was sealed and ready.
I am looking forward to a cold day in March when I warm the house with the aroma of fresh baked bread, slather it with butter, and break out the berry jam for a little taste of Summer in the depths of Winter.