It’s Saturday, and you know what that means—adventure time! After my usual morning sprint, scribbling in my journal, and wrestling with German verbs, we zoomed off to the farmer’s market at Frankly Factory. Though it’s only 8 AM, the place buzzes like a beehive with folks snagging the freshest local goodies. Our mission? A glorious bucket of strawberries. Yup, it’s jam-making day!
These strawberries are not just berries; they’re possibly the sweetest I’ve ever tasted. Making our own jam is the way to go because, honestly, who wants mystery ingredients in their jelly? Today’s spicy-sweet concoction requires about 1.5 pounds of crushed strawberries and, surprise—a half cup of jalapeño peppers. I couldn’t wait until I got home; I snuck a strawberry—super sweet!
With my trusty strawberry pit remover (a magical gift from my hubby a few years back), I prepped 4 cups of berries in no time. It’s a game-changer, making the task so much easier! Next up, I mixed in some sugar and let it work its magic to draw out the juicy goodness. Then came the jalapeños, which always make me sneeze my head off. To avoid a jalapeño chunk catastrophe, I blitzed them in the blender—no tears or sneezes!
Strawberries are low in pectin, so tossing in some high-pectin lemon helped set the jam just right. I’m not much for using commercial pectin. With the jam looking good, I sanitized some bottles (carefully—they’re hot!) and bottled up six little jars of my homemade delight.
Even after all that jamming, I still had over 2 pounds of strawberries left. I chopped them up, sealed them in bags, and prepped them for my next jam session. The rest? We’re munching on those sweet treats for the next few days.
What a sweet and spicy start to the weekend!