Homemade Strawberry Jam

Sixteen jars of strawberry jam sit on my kitchen counter.  Those are 16 jars filled by a labor of love.  It took hours stretched over a couple of days (thanks to little free time with two little kids underfoot) to make that jam.  And that didn't include the time I spent driving to the farm and then, body bent over and face moistened from sweat, actually picking the strawberries.  Making strawberry jam is actually quite easy, even for a canning novice like myself.  But there are a lot of steps from hulling every berry to adding the ingredients in the right order after precise timing, to lowering and raising jars of prepared jam in and out of a stock pot full of boiling water. 

For previous generations, canning was a cost-saving activity, but given what it costs now and how easy it is to buy food goods at the store, I can only justify canning by calling it a hobby.  If you add up the cost of $2.05 per pound of berries, gas to drive to the berry patch, jars, additional ingredients and the time it takes to actually make the jam, even the most expensive store-bought jam is probably cheaper.   But once I tasted my first batch of Minnesota-grown strawberry jam, I remembered how gosh darn good the homemade stuff is.  For all the time the jam took to make, the whole process was a lot of fun and having a delicious finished product is gratifying. 

Homemade strawberry jam is more than just proof that I finally succeeded in something crafty, it's a connection to my mother. The kitchen was not her favorite place to be, but one of the few things she did love making "from scratch" was strawberry jam.  She made enough jars of it every year that I honestly can't remember ever seeing store-bought jam in our house.  She enjoyed gifting people with jam, and addition to her quilts, homemade jam was something she was known for.  No matter how much time or money is involved in making jam, the process is a connection to tradition, my past and most importantly, my mom.   Every time I pass by those jars on my kitchen counter, I'm reminded of her.  Much of the jam I'll most likely give away, and with each gift given, I'll be reminded of her generosity.