Tots and Me... Growing Up Together: Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen #115: Simple Strawberry Jam

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen #115: Simple Strawberry Jam

Time for Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen

(A weekly linky to share what you and your children have created in the kitchen.)

The linky is at the bottom.

Last month our Poppins Book Nook theme was Farms. I sort of went a slightly different route than most participants. We did read a book about a farm. It was called Farley the Ferret of Farkleberry Farm, and it focused more on taking jam to the county fair. So, I decided to focus on berries. Which of course, led to making some jam of our own. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I actually cut the recipe in half because I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, and we wanted some strawberries to eat.

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled
2 cups sugar
2 Tbs lemon juice

The children all took turns mashing the berries.

We measured them out to make sure we had 2 cups.

Then we added them, along with the sugar and lemon juice, to a pan. We stirred it over low heat until the sugar was dissolved.

Then we turned the heat up to high and brought it to a boil. We boiled it for about 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly so it wouldn't burn. The temperature should be 220 degrees F. We only have a meat thermometer, so it wasn't that easy to check, so I went by the time. Mommy was the only one stirring it at this point.

We used the recommended tip to check for jelling. We had placed a plate in the freezer when we started. After the jam had boiled for 10 minutes, I took a spoonful and put it in the freezer for 1 minute. Then the girls ran their fingers through it. We knew it was ready because it didn't run back together.

Directions:

1- Mash the strawberries. Measure to make sure you have 2 cups.

2- Pour them into a pan, and add the lemon juice and the sugar.

3- Heat on low until the sugar is dissolved.

4- Turn heat to high, bring to a rolling boil.

5- Continue to boil for approximately 10 minutes, or 220 degrees F.

6- Check for jelling by placing a teaspoon on a plate that had been set in the freezer. Return plate to freezer for 1 minute. Run your finger through the jam, if it doesn't run back together, it is ready.

It tastes really, really good with bread and butter. Or you can omit the butter if you are like my husband and just like it with bread.