Okay, so I know this isn’t the sexiest of topics. It is certainly not the manliest but it is most certainly one of the most delicious things you can ever make. I had packed a copious amounts of strawberries from my garden. Each and every one of these strawberries were absolutely huge, so ripe, and every little bite absolutely oozed sugar.   They were just about begging to be made into strawberry jam. There was one little issue…… I had no idea how to make jam.

My good friends down the road offered to teach me how to make jam. In exchange, I would share my berries and the resulting jam with them. It seemed like a very fair trade and so the next day, WE MADE JAM!

I have to admit that I’m sort of the hippie, I like my food fresh, clean, and as a natural or organic as possible.   I wasn’t actually sure what pectin was and after looking at what it was used for (besides jam), I just simply didn’t want to use it (Its sometimes used in denture adhesive, see here at WebMD).

What I arrived at my friend’s home I found that she had not planned for us to use pectin anyways.   Her recipe is very simple:

1-cup berries to 1-cup sugar

Cook to a slight boil in order to allow it to reduce to a syrup consistency.

Can with sanitized jars/lids

And…done!

I have to say, I thought this was going to be much harder than it actually was…. you know, really all that is…..take a bunch of strawberries and sugar and cook it until it gets to the consistency of syrup.   Throw it in a bunch of jars and boom! You’re done.

You know, I’ve come to realize that self-sufficiency is not really a place where you arrive at. It is their freedom to enjoy the things that you love. It is about having the time to pursue a life of your own choosing.   For me, so much of self-reliance is truly about experiencing the ability to provide for myself, my family and my friends; good, healthy, fresh organic foods.   It is about the connection to the land, a stronger connection to your community, and the strengthening of the connections of your own family.Str

The best of luck to you on your own pursuits. I encourage you define new ways To provide for your self, self-determination, self sufficiency and the life that is not dependent.