Strawberry Jam -- The Gateway Preserve

Recently, I have stepped into the forays of canning. It started with a simple purchase of strawberries. They were on sale, and I just could not walk away without buying some. When I got home, I realized that one problem would be that I would not eat them fast enough. I had already had strawberries from a previous purchase and I was still trying to eat my way through those. After a bit of searching and thought, I decided to use those extras to make strawberry jam.

There are dozens of recipes on the Internet, but the gist of them is the following:

--sugar

--hulled strawberries (cut off the tops)

--lemon juice (optional)

Another option is to add a bit of vanilla bean, but for me, this additional ingredient seemed like a bit of overkill. What more do delicious strawberries need than a little love and a few shakes of sugar?

Making the jam is simple: toss the berries in a saucepan over heat, mash to a pulp of your desired chunkiness, add sugar, and add lemon juice (optional). Then cook for 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickens. Pour the hot jam into canning jars and process in boiling water for 15 minutes.

If you plan to eat the jam right away, you do not even have to process it. Just wait for it to cool and spread over some hot buttered biscuits.

My one container of strawberries yielded a small jar with half a jar left over. The jam is not as thick as I would have liked, but after having made it once, I know I need only increase my cooking time next time to get it the way I want. With a process so simple, it is baffling why more people do not make their own jam.

The hugest expense is the startup cost. I did not have any jars or any tongs to hold a hot jar with, and I did not have a pot large enough to boil my jars in. After making an initial investment, the only other costs are ingredients.

With such success at my first attempt at canning, I know I have just made it very unlikely that I will ever buy another jar of jam from the grocery store again. I also hope to try other flavored jams and even other foods like relishes.

At first, I am sure it seems that going back to making food from scratch is like turning back the clock and taking a huge step away from simplicity. However, if simplicity means ridding your life of excess (like chemicals and extra fats found in prepared foods, for example), then cooking at home means less waste and less of the things you want in your foods.

Investing an extra 20 minutes to cut, chop, and heat just seems like a very simple way to become healthier and have a simplified life.

Ensure a Healthy Diet with an Open Mind

Recently, I began a challenge to see whether it were possible to save money at the grocery store with coupons while also maintaining a healthy diet. The journey also led me to think about other ways I ways could save.

First, stay away from packaged goods. This principle was, in fact, the impetus for beginning my coupon challenge. I found that most coupons advertised discounts on foods that were packaged rather than fresh or natural alternatives. Staying away from packaged foods keeps you away from the high sodium, high fat, and loaded “preservatives” in foods you often find a box.

Next, be open minded about what you eat. By now, most people realize that cooking at home is healthier and cheaper than eating out at a restaurant or buying packaged foods. An extension of that principle is opening one’s food palate to include a broader range of meats, grains, and vegetables while cooking. The concept is simple enough, but, unfortunately, many Americans are afraid to try new foods. They spend more and have poorer diets.

Lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, and other hearty but seldom used foods are great additions to a healthy diet and, for now, they are cheap. Grocery stores in many areas carry these items, and those stores that do not are a short trip away from those that do. The convenience of online grocery shopping also makes it possible for people in remote areas to have access to these foods.

Some people might say, however, that even with access to better food options, they still would not try new foods because they do know how to cook them. My response is that learning how to cook comes with practice. It can begin with a simple trip to the library. Trying a new recipe a week starts by just pulling a book from the shelf.

Upon finding a recipe you like, write it down on a card and create a home library of recipes. There really are no excuses for not experimenting with foods, cooking with new foods, and adding them to your diet.