Strawberry Jam Smells Like June

Back in the early summer we had gone strawberry picking and made Strawberry Jam. The jam had a light, shimmering pink translucence and when the jar was opened a thick, rich smell of strawberries came tumbling out along with a deep strawberry taste.

At the time, I had wondered why store bought jam did not smell and taste that same way. Most store bought jam uses corn syrup rather than sugar and they often cut the fruit content with grape juice, but I assumed that the real reason had to do with the long time the store jam needs to sit on the shelf. I also assumed the homemade jam would also wither over time once it was allowed to age.

I did not think I would get an answer to my question because, at the time, the jam we made was eaten very quickly and whatever wasn't eaten was given away to friends and neighbors.

Recently, however, one of the family found one last jar tucked away in the back of the pantry. Opening the jar produces the same rich taste and flavor as it did back in summer as if it were still June. Homemade jam is ridiculously easy to make with only four ingredients basically boiled together in a single pot. While this didn't answer the question about the blandness of store jam, it did tell me I need to make sure I make enough next year to last the entire winter.

Strawberry Jam

Now is the middle of strawberry season and today we went to Sussex County Strawberry Farm. They have 15 acres of berries, the plants were full of berries and the air smelled like strawberry jam as you walked between the rows.

It only took about 45 minutes to pick six quarts which we then took home and made strawberry jam with about four of the quarts. The jam was extremely easy to make with only four ingredients (5 cups mashed berries, 7 cups of sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 box of pectin) and even the canning process was not too bad once you got the hang of it. We ended up with nine, 8 oz jars, the jam is a light, shimmering pink and the strawberry flavor is clear and distinct. Given how easy this was and how well it turned out, we are now looking forward to blueberries in July and peaches in August.