DIY Life

This week I learned how to do something I have been wanting to do for nearly 12 years, I learned how to make jam. It was a spur of the moment thing, I was at a friend's house who mentioned she needed to get rid of the thousands of apricots from her front. She asked me to take them, saying I could make jam with them. I told her I didn't know how but wished I did. At this point she said, "Come on, get in the kitchen. It's high time you learned!" We spent the next two hours cleaning the fruits, cooking them and putting the sweet goo into jars. Full details after the jump.

You will need:

1. A clean working surface.
2. Plenty of clean jars with appropriate lids to fit.
3. A good supply of clean, ant-free fruit.
4. A recipe.
5. A large, sturdy pot. A smaller pot.
   
6. Oven mitts.
7. Sure Jell.
8. Fruit Fresh.

Once you have gathered everything, make sure you have a nice block of time. Jam gets hot and requires careful handling. It is not something you can set aside and then come back to later.

1. Wash your jars in warm water. If you use a dishwasher keep them in the rack where they will be warm. Another option is to set your oven on low and put the still warm jars upside down on the racks.
   
2. Boils your lids and turn off the burner when the boil is reached, leave them sitting in the warm water until they are needed.
   
3. Wash your fruit and cut up or mash into small pieces. We used apricots that we gently mashed up with a potato masher. We were sure to leave some bigger pieces for taste and texture.
4. Measure out your sugar for when it is needed.
5. Pour the fruit mixture, the Sure Jell, the Fruit Fresh and anything else the recipe calls for into the pot and begin the boiling process. Add sugar when necessary.
6. Constant stirring is a must for jams so that the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and the syrup does not burn.
7. When adding the mixture to your warm jars be sure to do so carefully. Again, the fruit is very hot and the burn hurts something fierce.
8. Be sure to fill just one or two jars at a time to ensure safety.
9. Be sure to wipe the lid of each jar before properly tightening the lid. This prevents bits of jam from blocking a proper seal when the lid is tightened.
10. Gently invert the filled jars and let them cool. The inversion helps to create a vacuum. A note about the lids, I used ones that were one, single piece. Be sure to research the appropriate lids before starting your project,
    

Recipes vary from fruit to fruit. But the result of just a couple of hours is a collection of sweetly filled jars that are fresh from the garden. You can eat them, give them as gifts or, like me, just boast to the world about your domestic splendor. Enjoy!