Strawberry Jam

1. Measure out your ingredients and have your clean jars at the ready for filling with jam.
2. Place the crushed berries* in a large, tall heavy bottomed pot (the mixture will rise as it boils so you want to make sure you have plenty of extra room in your pot), and stir in the whole package of pectin.
3. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Note: a rolling boil is a boil that you can't stir down. This will take a few minutes or more, depending on your fruit, your pot, and the heat of your stove.
4. Add the sugar and stir thoroughly. Bring the mixture back up to a rolling boil, and then continue to boil for exactly 1 minute. Continue stirring the whole time.
5. Remove the jam from the heat, and skim off any foam with a spoon.
6. Fill your jars with the hot jam and allow to cool at room temperature. Note: your jam will be quite liquid at this point, and that's normal. The pectin won't solidfy until the jam chills.
7. Store in the fridge for up to a month, the freezer for up to 6 months, or follow instructions for water bath canning, if desired.

for water bath canning

1. (If you are new to canning, make sure you've read the full details from a source you trust, I like the instructions from Ball.) Ladle the hot jam into hot jars, and leave 1/4 inch at the top. Wipe any drips off the rims with a clean cloth. Cover each jar with a clean lid, and screw to finger tight. Place jars on a rack in your canner. Be sure the water covers the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover the pot and bring water back to a boil. Process the jam for 10 minutes. Carefully take out the hot jars and put them on a kitchen towel to cool. After cooling, check seals on the jars. If any of the jars have not sealed properly, refrigerate them and consume within a month.