Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Hey so I am sorry about the fact that I have no pictures for this post and the last my camera has been malfunctioning but this recipe turned out way too well not to share it and thank you to Google Images for the strawberry image. Like many other people out there I have SO MUCH fruit in my freezer just sitting there because I didn't know what to do with it. So I am finally running out of room and decided I need to do something with it so why not jam? The recipe I used was originally for just strawberry jam but I didn't have enough for the full recipe so I used rhubarb to make up the volume difference.


Ingredients
5 cups strawberries (or 3 cups strawberries and 2 cups rhubarb)
7 cups sugar
1 (4oz or 57g)  package of Certo or Pectin
1 tsp margarine
4 Tbsp lemon juice

You will also need a wooden spoon, a large saucepan or pot, canning jars, and I highly recommend using other canning tools, you can buy kits that come with a variety of tools including jar tongs, a metal top grabber, a wide mouth funnel etc.

Instructions

1. First you need to mash up all of your fruit, frozen or fresh.
2. add the margarine this is the best trick I have learned so far when it comes to jam some recipes call for butter but I found margarine worked so much better. The addition of margarine or butter reduces the foam at the end that needs to be scraped off.
3. Wisk in the Certo or Pectin until there are no lumps and it is completely mixed in.
4. cook the fruit mixture over medium heat until it reaches a rolling boil (it keeps boiling even when you are stirring) stirring often continue this for 5 minutes. You can continue to let it boil if desired this will break down the fruit further but if you like chunky jam take it off after the five minutes. Sterilize your jars and keep warm while you are doing this step.
5. Add your sugar and mix it in than bring it to a rolling boil again. Let it boil for another 5 minutes than remove it from heat.
6. Let cool slightly and scrape off the foam.
7. Put your jam into jars and seal the lids of the jars until hand tight. Seal the jars by boiling the sealed jars for 20 minutes than letting them cool.

I seriously recommend following USDA guidelines for canning and I am not responsible for any injuries or bad batches incurred by following my directions. Good luck and Happy Canning.