We Be Jammin'

Last weekend (I'm a little behind on the picture uploading), The Cowboy and I were busy beavers. We made jam!!! We have a dewberry bush on the side of the house, and in addition the fruit we picked there, we used some dewberries from a local park. We collected many berries, 6 bags full I believe, and commenced the jamming. Here now for you, my bloggy friends, is a quick how to in jam making. Because I believe in teaching you something as well as entertaining you.

First, you take the frozen berries and rinse them off. Get rid of any little pieces of leaf or stem in there.

Then you smush the ever loving crap out of the berries.

This is my favorite part, and here The Cowboy has stolen my fun from me.

Then, you cook the berries with Sure Gel and a crap load of sugar.

I have no idea why this picture is showing up sideways. It's not this way on my computer, and I tried several different ways of uploading it, but to no avail. You get the picture, but it is really bothering me. Moving on....

While the berries are cooking (and you are stirring constantly) you can also clean out your jars. You have to make sure the jars are Very Clean and have No Bacteria in them. That would, afterall, pretty much ruin your jam.

If you don't have enough arms to stir the berries and clean the jars, it's always good to have a Jam Helper. We had several.

Her tongue is ready to catch any spare berries that may go flying.

Once the berries and sugar and stuff start boiling like crazy (a warning, that shiz WILL get all over everything....your clothes, your hands, your newly painted walls and newly laid floors....so it's best to keep some wet rags ready), you pour it EVER SO CAREFULLY into the clean jam jars.

Now here is where it gets tricky. Last year when we made jam, we just used regular pots and (I believe) a metal vegetable steamer. This year we kicked it up a notch and bought this......

THE SUPER DUPER EXTRA AWESOME JAM CONTRAPTION.

Ok, actually it's just a regular canning device. A canner? I don't know what it's called, ok. But it has a metal tray thingamabob inside and you put the jars in the tray and lower it into the piping hot water. The hot water seals the jars shut.

Well that's just great. Another sideways picture. Please don't send me the bill for your sore neck.

When you've boiled the jars for 10 minutes, you take them out of the SDEAJC and put them on the counter to cool. You will start to hear the lids "pop" as they seal. This scared the beejesus out of me the first time.

27 jars later.........

The finished product:

Jam, anyone?