Home Canned Strawberry Jam

Myrna reminded me that I need to need to mention the summer our Dad planted a whole garden lot into strawberries and how we made so much strawberry Jam that no one could eat strawberries for a long time. We picked berries by the dishpan; we picked for hours and then froze berries and made jam for hours afterward. Of course, it was pick 2, eat 1.
Now I like this simple strawberry jam recipe from Clemson University; it simply relies on really good home-grown berries for wonderful flavor. I’m not a fan of freezer jams; I like cooked jams like those I grew up helping with.  My husband's golf buddy, Neil, gave us home-grown strawberries - perfectly ripe and delicious. 
Strawberry Jam
2 Quarts Strawberries -- crushed (lightly)
6 Cups Sugar
Combine berries and sugar; bring slowly to boiling, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly until thick, about 40 minutes. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Pour hot jam immediately into hot, sterile canning jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath canner at altitudes up to 1,000 feet. (Add 1 minute to the processing time for each 1,000 feet of additional altitude.) Yield: 8 half-pint jars.
Don’t double the size of jam recipes, it takes too long for them to get to the right consistency and they are overcooked. I put 3 or 4 little corning ware sauce dishes in my refrigerator freezer, so I can use them to check the jam consistency. If it isn’t ready the first time, I can then use another dish to check it again. Take the jam off the heat while you check it.

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