Millerton - Things to Do

This past Saturday we went strawberry picking with friends at a farm near Copake.

On Sunday night I made Strawberry Jam. I'm sure there are recipes you can follow, but I'm not much of a follower.

Here's how I make Strawberry Jam.

1. Clean and prepare strawberries (remove stems, etc.).

2. Place strawberries (about 6 to 7 cups) in large pot with about a 1/8 cup of orange juice.

3. Cook strawberries on low heat until they release their juices.

4. Add sugar and stir (add as much sugar as you like - I start off with about a cup and go from there).

5. Continue to cook strawberry/sugar mixture until all of the liquid from the berries is released.

6. Use potato masher to smash cooked strawberries until they are at the consistency you like (I don't like large chunks of strawberries in my jam).

7. Add pectin.

8. Once the mixture comes to a rolling boil, ontinue to cook, on medium heat, for about two minutes, stirring consistently.

9. Ladle mixture into sterilized jars.

10. Clean the rim of the jars and place sterilized lids on them then tighten lids slightly.

11. Once the jars of Jam have cooled a bit - but are still warm then tighten as much as you can.

12. Once the jars of Jam have cooled completely, store in refrigerator (I keep them in the refrigerator because no preservatives are used and to be safe).

This is the basic method I use to make any type of jam. If you want to make jelly just strain the liquid from the pulp and use only the liquid.