Which individual of a healthful bent can resist the allure of an exceedingly agreeable fruit sale? With the costs of sustenance these days, it has become rather burdensome to make healthful choices. Thus, it is a truth universally acknowledged that when a bargain is to be had within the confines of the fruits or produce department, one generally exhibits a natural tendency to load one’s basket with a generous amount, in order to secure one’s health in a most agreeably economical manner.
I may have read a few too many 18th-century novels, of late…
At any rate, I rather think my personal musings might be shared by more than my own person. If so, what do you do when amongst those lovely berry gems, you spot an alarmingly numerous assortment of less-than-perfect berries, whose textures are not quite conducive to the method of popping them directly into one’s mouth?
Lately, I’ve been delighting in exploring new ways to embrace thriftiness, frugality, and eco-consciousness in my daily life. It would have been such a shame and a waste to simply toss these berries away into the compost bin—and not even my dog, who can be quite particular, can come to the aid of saving the earth, as he refuses to indulge in the squishiest of them. Then, it struck me: we haven’t purchased jam in ages, again due to rising prices, and I realised that berries for this purpose need not be at their best or firmest in order to create a luscious fruit spread — their charming, mashed-up texture is precisely what makes jam so delectable. Inspired by this, I decided to craft my own strawberry jam, turning these humble berries to good use, whilst making me feel very accomplished and eco-warrior-like!
No pectin? No problem! Strawberries naturally have pectin, and a quick Google search tells me (reliably) that lemon juice draws the pectin in the strawberries out. Perfect! There was the mention of a specific temperature one must boil the strawberry jam at as well (220 Farenheit) but I’d either lost or misplaced my candy thermometer, and felt reasonably secure in my powers of judgement on whether the jam mixture was sufficiently boiled or not, so I declined to let these little details deter me.
Here’s How I Quasi-Winged Making Strawberry Jam…
Since I had such a small handful of strawberries to work with, I estimated the amount of sugar I wanted (slightly less than ¼ cup), and put 1 tbsp of lemon juice in.
Readers, it was glorious…
… and I can’t think why I haven’t essayed the making of jam sooner.
The most gratifying part of this whole process was, of course, sharing the experience and eating it with my littles, who promptly gave it their firmest approval and wholeheartedly hoped we would encounter more “squishy bad berries”. I own I look forward to the next edible adventure, and especially how it might come about!
What is the most interesting thing you’ve repurposed, salvaged, or transformed, edible or otherwise?
