DIY 2 Ingredient Crock Pot Strawberry Jam

So, after a couple different successful attempts at making strawberry sauce, I actually got around to trying what I really wanted to make, strawberry jam. I kept putting it off because I have no idea where to buy pectin here, and from what I've read it is more difficult to make without the pectin. But I kept wanting to try because strawberry jam is expensive here, but strawberries themselves are relatively cheap. Well, in the end I don't think I saved any money, but this is by far the best strawberry jam I've ever had! And it has no preservatives. It was quite easy too, so I may make it again, even if it doesn't save me money. If you use pectin to thicken your jam, I am sure you'll get a higher yield, but the concentrated strawberry flavor makes this an extra special treat.

Homemade Strawberry Jam Recipe

• 3 quarts hulled strawberries
• 4 cups sugar

1. Put strawberries and sugar in a crock pot, and stir thoroughly. The sugar will bring out the natural juices in the strawberries.
2. Turn crock pot on high, and bring to a boil.
3. Remove lid, and mash strawberries with a potato masher.
4. Allow to boil and reduce to the desired consistency, mashing intermittently. When my jam reduced to about 1 quart it was a great consistency.
5. Allow to cool, and store in jars in the fridge or freezer.

DIY Whole Strawberry Sauce

I like this pureed version of strawberry sauce a lot, but this time I wanted to make one with whole strawberries. It tastes just as delicious, just with a different texture. It is great with these hearty pancakes or in homemade yogurt. I am sure it would be great on ice cream as well.

Homemade Whole Strawberry Sauce Recipe

• Four cups hulled strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch

1. In a medium saucepan, pour the sugar over the hulled strawberries, and let sit 15–60 minutes. This allows the strawberries to macerate and brings out their natural juices.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with cold water, and stir until smooth.
3. Add cornstarch mixture into the strawberries and stir well. Turn on heat, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.
4. Remove from heat. Serve hot or cold. The sauce will thicken more when chilled.

DIY Strawberry Sauce

I love that strawberries are in season here now. This is the simple pureed strawberry sauce I made for breakfast for Valentine's day breakfast this year. But it would be a sweet treat any time of the year.

Homemade Strawberry Sauce Recipe

• Four cups hulled strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Transfer strawberry puree to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the sauce has boiled and thickened slightly turn off heat. Serve warm, or refrigerate for later use.

This was a great topping for fluffy heart shaped pancakes.

DIY Pumpkin Butter

Since pumpkins are still in season here (read that: really cheap and easy to get), I thought I try pumpkin butter as my first DIY project for 2012. I looked at a few different pumpkin butter recipes but ended up coming up with my own very simple recipe. I really like how it turned out though; it tastes like spreadable pumpkin pie to me. Pumpkin butter is great on muffins and toast, and I would imagine it would be fabulous on homemade bagels.

Homemade Pumpkin Butter Recipe

• 8 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (or up to 3 cups depending on your personal taste, but we thought 1 1/2 cups was plenty sweet)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• dash (about 1/8 of a teaspoon) of cloves (optional)
• dash (about 1/8 of a teaspoon) of ginger (optional)

1. Place all ingredients in a crock pot or large stock pot.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Bring to a very low boil and simmer for 30 minutes to up to 2 hours.
4. When you can stand a wooden spoon up in the center of the pot and all of the flavors have combined nicely, remove from heat, and let cool.
5. Store in jars (or other airtight containers) in the refrigerator, or freeze for later use.

This recipe yielded about 7 cups of pumpkin butter for me.

DIY Easy Lemon Marmalade

Making your own marmalade is surprisingly easy and requires very few ingredients. Lemon marmalade is a refreshing and unique twist on the classic orange marmalade. You could even use a combination of orange and lemon together for a really unusual marmalade.

Homemade Lemon Refrigerator Marmalade Recipe

• 1 extra large or 2 regular lemons
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

1. Wash the lemon(s) well, and cut off the top and bottom, but do not peel. This time this has nothing to do with my disdain for peeling things unnecessarily, you need the peel for the recipe to work right. The peel has natural pectin in it that will help the marmalade thicken. Without it you will have runny marmalade.
2. Cut the lemon(s) into eight or more pieces and place in the blender with the sugar and the water. Blend well.*
3. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Boil for 15–20 minutes, until well thickened.
5. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. If you have any undesired chunks of lemon in the marmalade, you can scoop them out at this point.
6. Transfer to a glass jar, and refrigerate for storage. I have read that this type of marmalade can be kept in a cold refrigerator for up to 6 months, but I have never had it last long enough to test that myself.

*You may have noticed by now that I love my blender, as it makes so many things easier. You can make marmalade without a blender by cutting the unpeeled lemon(s) into very small pieces, boiling, and then mashing with a potato masher. This is a little more work and makes it a little chunkier, but it will still very good. I have made lots of marmalade successfully using this method, and some people even prefer chunkier marmalade.

DIY Easy Orange Marmalade

Making your own marmalade is surprisingly easy and requires very few ingredients. I used 1 large navel orange for this batch but look forward to making it again when the small sweet mandarin oranges comeback in season as well. Do you think it is funny that Walmart has Sunkist navel oranges here? I sure do.

Homemade Orange Refrigerator Marmalade

• 1 large or 2 small oranges
• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup water

1. Wash the orange(s) well, and cut off the top and bottom, but do not peel. This actually has nothing to do with my disdain for peeling things unnecessarily, you need the peel for the recipe to work right. The peel has natural pectin in it that will help the marmalade thicken. Without it you will have runny marmalade.
2. Cut orange into eight or more pieces, and place in the blender with the sugar and the water. Blend well.*
3. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Boil for 15–20 minutes until well thickened.
5. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. If you have any undesired chunks of orange in the marmalade, you can scoop them out at this point.
6. Transfer to a glass jar, and refrigerate for storage. I have read that this type of marmalade can be kept in a cold refrigerator for up to 6 months, but I have never had it last long enough to test that myself.

*You may have noticed by now that I love my blender, as it makes so many things easier. You can make marmalade without a blender by cutting the unpeeled orange into very small pieces, boiling, and then mashing with a potato masher. This is a little more work and makes it a little chunkier, but it will still very good. I have made lots of marmalade successfully using this method, and some people even prefer chunkier marmalade.