In a Jam

There was a strawberry sitting on a kitchen counter crying his eyes out, two strawberries were walking by and asked him what was wrong.  That's when he told them, his parents had got into a jam!

Strawberry jam to be precise, from the Better Homes and Gardens "You Can Can - A Guide to Canning, Preserving, and Pickling.

Rather than having my jam on an English muffin or toast, I thought a late night snack on a cracker with gorgonzola cheese would be delicious ~ and it was!

You could also use the jam to baste a chicken, roast pork or maybe some ribs on the grill!  Mmm.

Ingredients

3 quarts fresh strawberries, hulled
1 1.75 ounce package powdered pectin
1/2 teaspoon margarine or butter
7 cups sugar

Directions
1. Crush 1 cup of berries in an 8-quart pot. Continue adding berries and crushing until you have 5 cups crushed berries. Stir in pectin and margarine. Heat on high, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Add sugar all at once. Return to boiling; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off foam.

2. Ladle immediately into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Process in a boiling-water canner 5 minutes. Remove jars; cool on wire racks.*

*Note:  As the jam cools, turn the jars occasionally, top to bottom, to help evenly distribute the fruit and prevent the fruit from floating to the top of the jars.  Store upright, however, to protect the seal.

Nutrition Information
Per 1 Tablespoon Serving:  51 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 mg chol., 1 mg sodium, 13 g carbo., 0 g fiber, 0 g protein