Fry's had strawberries on sale for $0.97 per carton. I had been meaning to pick them up for several days but it never made it to the top of my to-do list. Finally yesterday I realized they would be going off sale today so I went out and picked up 24 cartons.
Elliot was overjoyed at the prospect of jam!!
He likes to help in the kitchen and gooshing strawberries has to be one of the best tasks ever!!
Noah didn't like the idea of squishing them with his hands so he used a potato masher.
There are several good things about making jam at home. One is a reduced cost. I also like that I have control over the amount of sugar that goes into the jam. I have tried sugar substitutes like homey and coconut sugar, but nothing is as good as nasty, white, refined sugar...so I just use less than I would find in commercial jam.
Waste is also eliminated when I make it from home. After hulling the berries the hulls become chicken treats!
Quinnie had a great time feeding them. Who needs clothes on the farm?!?!
When all was said and done, I spent $23.28 on strawberries, $9.88 on pectin, $5.97 on sugar, $4.76 on lids and made 27.5 jars of jam. That works out to a total of about $1.60 per jar.
Woo hoo!! Now I have a year's worth of jam!
