Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Homemade Jam

About a year or so ago, I brought home this "Jammin Kit" by Disney. I picked it up for only ONE dollar at one of the many dollar stores around here. It sat in my storage cupboard for about 6 months, then it was moved to the upstairs cereal cabinet where it sat for 6 more months. Once I moved it upstairs the kids saw it and would occasionally ask when we were going to make some jam.




I figured we'd better do it before summer was over, so went hunting for some strawberries. The fresh ones at the grocery store looked pretty lame so I just bought a bag of frozen ones.

I remember my mom making jam...it was probably blueberry or pincherry or crabapple. It seemed like a long, hot process...boiling jars, cooking the fruit, straining the fruit overnight in cheesecloth etc. etc. I wasn't quite up to that.

This kit included everything we needed (except the fruit) and required no cooking, no boiling jars, no straining.


The strawberries were dumped into a large bowl, mashed with my newly procured-from-the-thrift-store potato masher (how did I live almost all of my married life without one?), a package of pectin and sugar were added and then mixed.


Jam was ladled into jars, set out to firm up for about 1/2 hr and then popped into the fridge.


It was so easy and the kids enjoyed it and it counts as "educational", so I wish I had bought a few more of the kits so we could make jam a few more times. But more than likely the remaining boxes would have sat mouldering somewhere for a year or so. I've always have great intentions but have problem with the following through part...I'm sure my mom would say that is how I have been since I was a little girl :)

Of course the kids were so eager to try the jam...and they loved it. How could you not love something that tasted like the topping from a strawberry sundae?


I like how the kit says on the back about it being a family activity and a HEALTHY SNACK.

I rarely ever buy Disney stuff - I've got this thing against Disney. It is not a "religious conviction" or "boycott"... I think the mass marketing of it all just irritates me. I'm tired of seeing Mickey Mouse all over the place, I don't like the whole "princess" thing for girls, I don't for the most part like animated movies...a number of reasons. But I have to say this jam kit was a dollar well spent :)

I checked on-line and you can actually buy this kit through Amazon.com - it's more than a dollar, it costs $11.99...which is still a pretty good price...though not close to the steal I got for $1.00.

3 comments:

Heather said...

Very cool--we finally figured out that there is no reason to stand over a hot stove except to cook the fruit down--most of that was the canning jars. Now we freeze our ham and it is wonderful!

Beck said...

I have the same feeling about Disney, but that IS a cute little kit!
We make freezer jam every summer after our big strawberry picking expedition. Good times!

CanadianGrandma said...

I love homemade jam! Whether it is the easier method of freezing or the longer process of boiling over a hot stove, straining it ,etc. Nothing beats the flavour of one's own jam! Great to see the kids involved!