Letter J-Making Jam
Hey guys!
Just wanted to write a quick post to tell you guys about our awesome letter J week. We started officially homeschooling for prek this school year and it has been so great for us. Of course not always easy, but we get through it! This week was letter J week for us. This is a special letter for us because Jane's name begins with J! As well as Juliet's, Dad's name, and so many more family members!
After a great start to the week using The Peaceful Preschooler to guide us with J related book titles and themes, creating a car collage and street map, and making our own sea creature diorama, we ended up our school week with making j-j- jam! We read a pdf version of The Giant Jam Sandwich (because it wasn't available at our local library), practiced on some letter J word spelling then we got to making our jam. I think whether you're officially homeschooling or not this is a great activity to do with your kids. They would really enjoy it! Below I have posted the recipe for you guys to try!
First step is we trimmed the strawberries then crushed them in a large bowl. Look at that arm work.
Little Juliet giving it a try.
Then in a saucepan we mixed together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice over low heat until the sugar dissolves. You then pick up the heat to high and get it to a full boil. We let it boil for about 10 minutes on medium while stirring often.
I sterilized the mason jars by putting jars and lids in boiling water and let them dry out on clean paper towels without touching the inside. I read that we have to be super careful with handling the utensils and everything that comes into contact with the jelly to not introduce germs, which can lead to mold in our jam. So, after the jars were completely dry we transferred the jam to the jars leaving some space then sealed them. We then let them cool to room temperature for 30 minutes then placed three out of four jars in the freezer. The other jar we left in our refrigerator. We didn't go through the canning/preserving processing so that is why we decided on the freezer jam option.
We then made bagels with cream cheese and added jelly on top. It was delicious guys!! I didn't let it set for long so It was a little runny but so good. The girls are not really into jelly. It's actually been a long while since we have purchased store bought jelly so I thought this was a perfect way to reintroduce strawberry jam to the girls. Aaaand they weren't digging it. It's cool though they aren't into typical kid food like spaghetti, ketchup, or burgers. However, your pb&j loving kiddos will definitely like this one. I did!
I laid out the recipe below or easier directions.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
cups
|
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries (hulled and halved)
- 3 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Ingredients
|
|
- In a saucepan on low-medium heat mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Smash strawberries to decrease cook time.
- Increase to high heat and let mixture reach a full rapid boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and continue to boil for about 15-20 minutes. The large chunks will eventually break down.
- Transfer jam to sterile glass jars. Seal. Once cool, place in the refrigerator if going to be eaten right away. Otherwise freeze your jam and bring down to defrost when needed.
- Place glass jars and lids in boiling water for 10 minutes. Then remove with sterilized tongs. Lay on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to cool and dry completely.
*Freshly made jam can be eaten right away or refrigerated for up to three weeks. *Freezer jam can last for up to a year.
I really hope you enjoyed this post. Post your comments or questions below.
Thank you for reading!
Melissa
