How To De-Stress Your life? Make Jam At Home! Create!! Cook!
When Life is Hard? What do you do?
Cry?
Hide?
Become an Alcoholic?
And when that doesn’t work….what else can you do that you didn’t even know you could do??
Make something! Create something!! Cook something! (Just avoid eating it all by yourself in one sitting! Then you’ll have more trouble!) (Like I did that with brownies once…it wasn’t a good week)
The best way to beat stress is to call some girlfriends over for tea, coffee, or a little creative fun! Make Jam!! Think about it….doing something you’ve never done before with some good friends at home that doesn’t involve a book club book or conversations about nothing?
Jam. Make Jam. I overheard a MAN at my kids school say he was going to costco to get raspberries to make jam.
WTF?
Wait a minute…
I stopped a conversation to step over to him and say, “What….???”
He told me what I overheard and because I’m curious and a writer…I had to rearrange my day to witness the unbelieveable.
How Do You Make Jam At HomeHome made Jam? Like from scratch? I’m not the Pioneer Woman, but I’m curious enough to learn anything and making Jam is as easy as reading! So follow below or buy the best jam book recommended by my friend/jam maker extraordinaire: Blue Chair Jam Cookbook!
What I learned from making Jam, is that although it IS easier to buy it at the store, when you make it at home, you get the satisfaction of accomplishment (and a sticky, dirty kitchen), and the memory of making it, and you determine what goes in there! No chemicals, weird dye, or nasty-teeth-sucking-seeds etc.
1) Buy your fruit. Clean it. (Unless you like the chemical thing – in which case, return fruit immediately and buy jam at store)
2) Clean Jars. (Best deal I found is on amazon and with prime – you are getting a steal! Click here for 12 Jam Jars!) I also use mine for home-made overnight oatmeal!
3) Smash 2 lbs of any one Fruit (almost liquid) (get a good squasher or a strong man to do it!)
4) Boil crushed fruit for 10-15 mins. Add 4 cups sugar and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Add pectin
5) Boil caps so they sterilize.
6) Fill jars with Jam. Cover. Wait. They pop when they seal!
That’s it! If you make enough Jam, you can give it away as gifts to friends and family! Or screw everyone and keep it all to yourself! That IS alot of Jam though! So don’t be selfish – what’s the rule: Give and it will come back! And maybe not more Jam! Maybe other things!?
And if you get the 12 jars – and you aren’t doing jam – try CookingClassy overnight oatmeal. YUM!!