Strawberry Jam

I've made homemade Strawberry Jam for a long time.  When my kids were little we used to go pick strawberries at a local farm.  I don't do that anymore because I've discovered that buying frozen berries accomplishes the same thing without all the fuss.  You can use fresh or frozen for this recipe.  It's simple and the red color is stunning!

The ratio is simple - Double the amount of fruit to sugar!

1.  Start with 4 Cups of strawberries, fresh or frozen, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Cut or mash them, but leave some chunks.

2.  Add 2 Cups sugar and heat on medium-high heat until it starts to bubble.  Turn down to simmer.  Stir about every 5-10 minutes as the liquid reduces.  It usually takes 60 - 90 minutes, but you just have to keep checking the consistency.

3.  It will foam a little, don't worry, it will dissipate at the end.  It's done when it gets "thickish" but not extremely thick.  We like our jam pourable, so I take it off the heat at the "thickish" stage and then it thickens more as it cools.

4.  Let it cool 15 minutes in the pot, then pour into jelly jars.  This jam freezes beautifully for a year in our deep freezer.  Though I guarantee you it won't last that long!

***I use this same ratio to make luscious Peach Jam.  It's a staple in our house.  Try it with any fruit you like!