We’ve had lots of strawberries in May and June.   Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with picking them. Nancy has been freezing batches.  Glenda made a wonderful galette — a pastry filled with strawberries last weekend.   This weekend, Glenda and I made our second batch of jam.   We mashed the strawberries to get about four cups of liquid, which is brought to a boil. 

Raspberries are also ready and I made a batch of jam. 

I like to use Pomona’s Universal Pectin, which requires less sugar.   It uses calcium to activate the pectin.   Nancy prefers the traditional methods, which seems more reliable but requires three times the amount of sugar.   Jam does seem to capture the essence of the fruit and preserve it for the coming year.