Small Batch Jam

Homemade V.S. Store Bought

I am all about DIY saving money and so on.  Some things however are worth your time to make not only because it is cheaper but that the homemade version is just so much better than anything at the store.  The other reason to home make is that you can add a little special touch to something you otherwise wouldn't get at the store. After all the items at the store are there to make someone money. So adding expensive bonuses to the items may not be as profitable for them. DIY doesn't have to be hard or time consuming ether. After some simple set up the doing it yourself can take less time than a trip to the farmers market.

I learned about small batch canning form the kitchn.

I grew up with a mom that canned. Canning days were all consuming filled with boxes of apples and giant pots boiling all day long.  The kitchen was hot and sticky and gross.  So I never really picked up canning because one - I don't have a big pantry to hold 200 plus jars of applesauce and two - It would take my small family of 4 about 5 or so years to consume that much applesauce or jam or anything else really. So when I saw this site and the small 4 cup batches of jam and jelly, well this had my interest. With about 45 min of work I could get 6 months or so worth of breakfast jam.  This sounded doable. So I gave it a go.

My recipe

4 cups strawberries
3 cups sugar (I think I will use only 2 next time. It turned out a bit too sweet)
1/2 of a split open vanilla bean (this is the special touch I added real vanilla bean is so good)
4 1/2 Tablespoon Pectin

the only thing I didn't have on hand was pectin
I also go a couple of tools.  I little stick magnet for pulling lids out of boiling water. Also a Jar lifter.  These were worth the $4 splurge.

If you want a step by step canning process Ball has a good one. They also have a great pectin calculator.
It makes it easy. you even can pick the fruit you are using and so on.

It took me about 1 hour in all.  I think next time it won't take quite so long since this was my first go. So yeah that's it. Yummy homemade jam and still time to write in my blog all in one night. The only thing is I will now be investing in several more "baby" canning jars.