It is June in Wisconsin! This means strawberry season is finally here! We have been waiting for the strawberries to ripen, so we could make more jam. The kids ate all of my last years batch, so I made them eat plum jam while we waited patiently for strawberry season to arrive.

I took the kids strawberry picking at a local farm with some of our friends. It was pretty fun and an experience I think they will remember. I have fond memories of picking fruit with my grandparents and going back to their house to enjoy the “fruits” of our labor. This time, we came back and enjoyed the strawberries Isla picked, and then as the kids played in the pool, I hulled all of the strawberries I picked. Finnegan was a help, but didn’t seem as interested in the picking process.

Once I had washed, chopped and measured…I was ready to start the boil. So I ended up making three batches of jam. Here is my recipe, decreased by three. It makes a lot, but hopefully will keep us fully stocked with strawberry jam until this time next year.

Strawberry, Prosecco & Lime Jam

5 cups chopped strawberries
1/2 cup prosecco
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp butter
1 box of pectin
7 cups sugar

Chop strawberries and place into a dutch oven. Add in prosecco, lime juice, butter and pectin. Stir well to combine. Bring to a rolling boil for 1 – 2 minutes. Measure sugar out before adding. Add in sugar slowly while carefully stirring. Stir well and bring back to a rolling boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute (I set a timer). Turn off heat and get clean jars set up. Fill clean jars with hot jam. Carefully wipe the top of the jars off and place canning tops and rings. Process for 10 minutes in boiling water. Let set over night and check tops to make sure jars are properly sealed.

I use an iodine solution to clean my jars (like my husband uses to clean his brewing equipment) but make sure to properly clean your jars before you begin. There are many websites out there describing the canning process. I want to keep my jam safe to eat, so I take great care in keeping everything clean before I begin my canning.

Also another hint…when boiling water to process jars, add a little white vinegar to the water to help keep the jars from clouding.

This is definitely a process, but totally worth the work.