Renderings: Little Red Jars

Several years ago, my beloved friend, Amy, and I were saying goodbyes and corraling kiddos after hanging out at her house for the morning. As I gathered the last of the goods, Amy threw up her hands shouting, "Oh, oh, oh! I almost forgot your jam!"

My what!?!?

When I was a little girl, our family kept a modest orchard on our acreage. Perhaps this calls to mind pictures of Norman-Rockwellian, midwest-farming grandeur. You might imagine cider presses and red-checked tablecloths spread under the shade as we nibble on the harvest under a gently setting sun, a hard day's work the cause for celebration.

Well, scratch that record: no midwesterner actually has those pictures.

Try hot kitchens with fans set up everywhere because air conditioning - like the patch of shade you've falsely conjured - is non-existent. The best you can do is try to sweat less in the hopes that dehydration might claim your consciousness so you can finally rest your numbing feet and arms. Canning anything is sticky, humid, exhausting work...that reaps great harvest fare, to be sure.

No, I surely did not like the process, but I most certainly relished the fruits of it (pun intended). I hold great memories of working in that sweaty kitchen with my mom or hearing my dad shout just days before, "Hey Bug! Climb that tree and shake it 'til you break it!" And those pickles, jellies, jams, and fruits never tasted better - that's for sure!

So, when Amy came around that corner, little red jar in hand, a part of my heart leaped at the memory - and the promise of the delectable confection it spied. "How'd you do this?" I asked for, as determined and saavy and no-nonsense she is, Amy is not that into sweating over a jar she could spend two bucks picking up at Krogers, know what I mean? She shrugged and confessed, "It was really easy, actually. All you have to do is..."

No-Cook Strawberry Jam

Ball (or another brand) Fruit Jell Freezer Jam Pectin
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 c. crushed fruit of your choosing (works well w/ blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and peaches, in particular)
5 8 oz. jelly jars (can buy at Walmart or grocery store; usually come with rings)
1 package 8 oz standard lids

Clean, de-stem (if needed), cut, and crush fruit. Measure 1 1/2 c. sugar into bowl and add a pouch of pectin. Add fruit and stir, nonstop for 3 minutes. Ladle jam into jars; leave 1/2" headspace, apply lids, and tighten rings.

Most brands have their instructions on the box or pouch, so don't sweat it (and I meant that literally). In the summer months, just as when I was a kid, the jars never stay on the shelf long.

So make a few memories, why don't you, while you make some yummy jam?

You start with this...