Today started off pretty depressing with it being dark and thunder-storming outside. But once I got out of class the rain cleared up, the sun came out, and the day just got better from there! There have been some really nice looking strawberries at my grocery stores so I figured there was no better way to celebrate the (early)beginning of strawberry season than with some fresh homemade jam!

Jam is actually SUPER easy to make, and this recipe I used is very similar to the strawberry syrup that I make with pancakes. Many jam recipes use extra pectin (a naturally occurring gelling agent found in fruits), but as long as your strawberries are REALLY ripe then there’s enough natural pectin to do the trick. Look for strawberries that are dark red in color and have little to no white flesh up by the leaves.

This small batch of jam only took about 15 minutes total to whip up! And it tastes fantastic! I watched this video to get some tips on technique:

Plus that lady is super adorable (I mean that in the most respectful way possible…:D ).

Homemade Strawberry Jam

• 1 pound fresh, ripe strawberries
• 3/4 c. organic sugar
• 1/2 meyer lemon, juiced

-Rinse the strawberries well, hull them, and slice them thinly. Put the strawberry slices in a wide saucepan.

-Put the pan on the stove over high heat. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir well. Heat for about 15 minutes over high heat, stirring often.

-To test and see if it’s properly jelled, put about half a teaspoon of the jelly onto a very cold plate (I just stick a saucer into the freezer for a few minutes). Let it sit for a minute. When you pick the plate up and turn it sideways, the jam should be thick and not run quickly down the plate. If it’s runny, cook the jam for another couple minutes.

-Once the jam is done, turn off the heat and funnel the jam into a clean jar. Makes one 8 oz. jar.

You can do lots with homemade jam, like make dessert bars or jam filled cookies. Or you could just do what any good Southern girl would do…

YUM.

To make my day even more exciting, I got a great suprise in the mail today!

It’s the Pure bars that I won from a giveaway that Helen, Naturally gave!!! Thank you so much Helen for doing the giveaway! I can’t wait to try these bars.

Thanks for reading guys! ONE more thing before I sign off!

I’m on Facebook and Twitter now and would love to see all of you at either/both place!!!

-Lauren