My grandmother used to can fruits and vegetables all the time, and I remember going to the orchard to buy a bushel of peaches with her in late summer. The next day she would have gleaming jars of perfectly preserved fruit to last through the winter months and beyond, carefully lined up along the steps down to the basement. I've always wanted to can things, but my fear of doing it wrong and making people violently ill has been holding me back. Time to face my fears. We will be canning jam today.

The property has one rhubarb plant that just gets bigger by the day so I pick some of that. I have some frozen raspberries from last summer that have been great in my cereal, but I am willing to sacrifice them for the cause. The strawberry patch needs time, so I buy some organic strawberries at the store. Time to jam.

Makes 5 cups of fresh, delicious jam!

• 8 cups berries. I use strawberries and raspberries, but blueberries added to the mix would work, too!
• 8 cups rhubarb, diced into 1" pieces
• 5 cups sugar
• 1 cup rosé wine
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1 jar of classic fruit pectin (5.4 oz).

First, assemble your ingredients, wash and prep them. The strawberries get the leaves removed, and the rhubarb gets cut into 1" pieces, and yes, while I cut I peel a little of the tough outer layer off. The raspberries were prepped when picked, then put in a single layer on a cookie sheet to freeze. They are good to go. Everything else is taken out and measured as needed.

I place the wine, berries, rhubarb and sugar in a pot, along with a bit of salt and yes, pepper. Commence the simmer. Above you'll see we go from completely raw ingredients, to a mildy cooked version, to where it begins to froth and the color gets darker. We are not done yet. This will take some time, but IDK, I did not baby it, some people stir constantly. Just don't burn it. Feel free to crush those berries with a potato masher or a spoon to get your desired texture.

It's been cooking for a while and starting to get to the candy stage. I do NOT have a thermometer, so I will be relying on some old school tricks. When the jam gets to the upper left hand stage in this photo grid, I add the pectin and stir vigorously until dissolved. I do smash the berries every once in a while, and if I see foam form, it must be skimmed off. Eventually you will end up with a clear, jewel-toned liquid that is ready for its test. But while the jam is becoming jam, we have to prepare the bottles, lids and rims. This is the part that scares me.

To test the jam and make sure it is done, I am instructed to freeze a small plate and put a dollop of the hot jam on it. If you hold it on an angle, run your finger through the middle and get no drippage, the jam is done. We pass the audition, time to get it in the jars. There are tongs that you use to take the hot jars out and lay on a towel. There is a funnel that one uses to put the jam in the jar. There is a ladle that one uses to put the jam in the funnel. There is a lid wand with a magnet on it that you use to fetch the hot lids out of the water. I put all of these in the 180 degree water for 10 minutes, then take them out. Good to go. Please go to YouTube for more instruction.

First, a jar comes out, then the funnel goes in. I ladle the jam in to the jar 1/4" from the top. If needed, wipe the rim of the bottle with a warm, clean, wet towel to clean any spillage that would prevent a good seal. The magnetic wand retrieves a lid which goes on the top of the jar. Then place the screw top, which has been washed in soap and water, plus dried thoroughly, onto the jar. You now have one jar ready for its bath. Repeat until done. It makes a little bit of a mess, don't be such a baby, anything worth doing is gonna get you a little dirty.

So the jam is now out of processing, and all that is left is to take it out, let it sit on a towel for 12 - 24 hours and check the lids to make sure they are on tight. Remove the rims and make sure there is tension on the lids. We are there. Put the rims back on if you choose. I have (8) 4 oz. jars that have processed, and put the little bit left over in an 8oz. jar for the refrigerator. Had some on an English muffin this morning with butter, of course. It is NOT super sweet, it is tangy, and every once in a while you get a little crunch of black pepper. Leave it out if you don't want it, I don't care. There will be some smeared on a baguette with a piece of brie cheese in my future. Accompanied by a rosé wine, of course. More jam and gardening to come, not sure when I'll travel again, but thanks for following. Check back in.