Number 1

We just found our very first strawberry of the year...we're hoping it's the first of many. In honor of the first one, I want to share a really good recipe for jam. No pectin is used and the berries are suspended in the jam. My dad used to make it and served it only with homemade bread. It does not make a lot, but the results are wonderful

1 heaping quart strawberries (you need the small locally grown berries, not the huge imports you get in the grocery store).

2 cups sugar (number 1)

2 cups sugar (number 2)

optional...1/2 tsp butter and 1 tsp. lemon juice. The butter will keep the jam from foaming, the lemon will keep the berries bright.

Hull ripe berries and wash. Drain thoroughly and measure into a wide saucepan. Sprinkle with 2 cups of sugar (number 1), shake gently and heat slowly until juice appears. Add the butter and lemon at this point. Bring to a boil. Watch carefully since there is no added water. When the mixture reaches the boiling point, time to give exactly 5 minutes active boiling time.

Remove from stove and add 2 cups sugar (number2) scattered over the top. Stir in gently with a spoon so as not to cut the berries. Bring back to boiling and time for 10 minutes. Pour into a bowl to cool completely, shaking periodically while cooling. Cover with cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel. Pour into clean jars and store in the refrigerator. We never did can this as it never lasted that long. It could probably be sealed after the second cooking, but the jars would need to be gently turned to keep the berries suspended.

For those of you who have questions about food stamps and coupons, you CAN use coupons, but you have to pay sales tax on the coupon item. When you slide your EBT card, the cash register automatically tells you what you owe. It comes to only cents.  When you have a $1.00 coupon on an item, and the items costs $1.00, all you have to pay in Tulsa County is 8.517%, which comes roughly to $.09 on that item. That still saves you $.91 cents on that item. With all the coupons I use, I have never paid more than a dollar out of pocket towards taxes. If you have $20 worth of coupons, that's like gettin $19.00 of free food.