Homemade Strawberry Jam

Strawberry season is upon us again, so what better time to make your own strawberry jam? It is a bit time consuming but well worth the effort. It makes a great topping on any kind of bread, roll, biscuit or cracker. It makes a really nice Christmas gift too!

Directions:

Yield: 8 cups

1. Put your thoroughly cleaned jars, lids and rings in a pot of water on the stove. Bring to a boil over high heat. Allow to simmer (sterilize) while you are making the jam.
2. Put a brick of paraffin wax in a jar and set this in a small pot of boiling water to melt.
3. Crush prepared berries (washed with hulls removed) with a potato masher and measure out 6 cups (juice included). Put in a large dutch oven.
4. Mix box of Certo with ¼ cup of sugar and stir into berries. Add 1 teaspoon of butter. Bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Once it reaches the boiling point, stir in the remaining 4 ¼ cups of sugar. Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Allow to boil for two minutes and then remove from heat. Allow to sit for approx five minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid floating fruit.
6. Ladle into hot sterilized jars, filling to ¼ inch from the top. Pour a thin layer of melted paraffin wax over the jam, and then add hot, sterilized lid and ring. Make sure that the rim of your jar is clean before putting the lid on, otherwise the jar will not seal.
7. Place jars of jam on a wire rack to cool. Label and store in a cool place (basement) until ready to use. Store in refrigerator after opening.