Strawberry Jam with Honey

Today was officially the kick off of my canning season for 2014.  This may not be exciting to you, but it sure is to me :)  Since this is Thursday I can classify today as Thankful Thursday due to the fact that its Thursday and I'm Thankful that I know how to preserve food and have all the supplies to do so.  I am thankful that my mom and grandma who taught me how to can when I was younger despite the unwilling attitude I used while learning.  

Today, I canned 4 quarts of fresh picked strawberries and made 10 pints of strawberry jam.

I have made strawberry jam for several years now, but I made it differently this year as I have been eating differently.  I am making a conscience effort to cut out as much sugar as I can on a daily basis and eating no processed food.  Thus far I have lost more than 20 pounds and I really do feel good.  No stomach bloating or pain, more energy and dropping pant sizes quicker than I could have imagined without exercise.  (Honestly, I'm saving exercise for when I plateau and need that bump to keep losing)

In the past I have made most of my jam with Splenda to cut down on the sugar content.  Its very tasty and better for you than using the 8 cups of sugar it calls for making a regular batch.  BUT this time I thought I would try no sugar and some raw honey.  So far it tastes wonderful.  I traditionally make the last pint as a sample jar and eat it on bread while its still warm.  Its a bit tangy and tart but it has the delicious flavor of a strawberry still there.  Often when you put the called for amount of sugar in the jams I feel like they are just so sweet you really lose that true fruit flavor.

Warm jam on bread.. YUM!

Here is the Recipe I used:

4 pounds of washed and hulled strawberries
3/4 c. Raw whipped Honey
1 c. unsweetened apple juice
1 1/2 packages of No Sugar Needed Pectin

It's a Keeper!!