Summertime and Strawberry Jam

During my last visit to Nana, I watched her dunk her toast, overflowing with strawberry jam, into her morning cup of coffee. Nowadays, it's Stroehman's white bread and Smucker's Seedless Strawbery Jam. But, my memories of Nana's bread and jam are thick slices of her home-baked bread topped with her homemade strawberry jam. 

With a quartet of hungry kids, Nana's bread and jelly were a staple in our house growing up. Each summer during strawberry season, Nana made a batch of strawberry jam from the succulent fresh berries. She followed the recipe on the SureJell box and produced a sugar crazed delicacy that springs to mind even now. The chunks of strawberries swam in a shiny jell that turned a plain piece of bread into a delectable dessert.

More than likely, the strawberries came from Anstadt's strawberry fields in Allenwood. And, also more than likely, Sharon had picked them. Each strawberry season, Sharon worked at Anstadt's picking strawberries to earn extra money. She was their star employee. Sharon could - and still can - pick strawberries faster than anyone I know. Even though she was only paid pennies per box, Sharon managed to make money. (I tried it several times, but I'm slow, can't handle the sun, and the bugs devour me.) Even today, when I see the "Pick Your Own Strawberries" signs, I think of Sharon.

Before the strawberry season ended, square quart containers of sugar-sweetened berries parked in our upright freezer for more batches of jam in the winter. 

During the years when Nana made her own homemade bread, I'd fight to get the end crust. Brown and crispy on the outside and fluffy and warm on the inside, the crust was the perfect foundation for my butter and jam treat. 

I remember one day, I watched Nana dunk her bread into her coffee. 

"Mommy, can I dunk my bread and jam in your coffee?"

She slid her cracked ceramic cup of coffee - blonde with milk - to my place at the table. I immediately fell in love with the taste of the soggy bread soaked in the slightly bitter coffee, the layer of strawberry jam sweetening the concoction. I wasn't tempted to drink the coffee - just dunk in it. When I was finished, Nana - never one to waste anything - gulped the rest of the coffee with the bits of my strawberry jam swimming in the cup. 

In my adult life, I took over the task of making the Strawberry Jam. I wanted to make sure I did everything the way Nana did. For many years, Nana came to my house during strawberry season and helped me make my fresh batch of jam and helped me prepare the strawberries for the freezer. During the winter, whenever I needed another batch, she supervised and helped stir in the sugar - a critical part of the process. Sadly, after she was diagnosed with diverticulosis, she wasn't allowed to eat the jam because the tiny strawberry seeds could get caught in her colon and cause diverticulitis, an acutely painful ailment. But, that didn't stop her from helping me and watching everyone delight in eating her jam.

As the years passed, SureJell changed their recipe but Nana wouldn't settle for anything but the original. Nana's tattered original recipe from the SureJell box became a priceless gem.   

To preserve the exact recipe for Nana's Strawberry Jam, I took the original SureJell recipe and added Nana's special touches. Now, anyone can make the recipe -  even if someone has to use "store-bought" strawberries. 

This Strawberry Jam Recipe is truly a family heirloom. 

Thank You Nana!

MOM RHONE’S STRAWBERRY JAM RECIPE

Strawberries for jam:

If doing own berries when in season to freeze for jam to be made later:

            Cut in small pieces, sugar lightly and let set until they draw juice.

            Measure 3 cups per container and freeze.

If using “store-bought” frozen strawberries:

            Thaw and crush berries.

To make FULL batch of jam:

            Thaw 6 cups of strawberries(2-3 cup containers of home-frozen berries.)

            Pre-measure 6 cups of sugar

.           Heat the 6 cups berries until boiling, then add 1 box Sure Jell.

            When it comes to FULL boil, boil ONE minute.

            Then add 6 cups of pre-measured sugar

            Keep stirring so sugar does not burn.

            When it comes to a FULL ROLLING BOIL, boil for ONE minute +.

            Remove from burner and put in jars.

            Cool completely before putting lids on jars.

            Keep in refrigerator until used.

To make HALF batch of jam:

            First empty 1 box of Sure Jell into a container and mix well.

            Then measure ½ box of Sure Jell and return ½ to package.

            Follow above instructions except use 3 cups of strawberries,

            ½ box Sure Jell and 3 cups of sugar.

To make FULL batch with FRESH strawberries:

            Clean berries and crush 5 cups of strawberries (DO NOT ADD SUGAR.)

            Same cooking instructions as above except use 7 cups of sugar.

            IMPORTANT NOTE:  Different measurements of sugar and berries for fresh batch

By Diane Rhone

                                Nana with her Smucker's Strawberry Jam
                                 (Thanks to Sharon for taking this picture)