Jam. It’s the surprise center of a donut. It’s peanut butter’s bff. It’s the MVP of breakfast. It’s how grandma says “I love you”. And it’s one of the most iconic and tasty ways to get more mileage out of your ripe fruit.

Berries are notoriously finicky. A single rainfall can cause molding and headaches for farmers and shoppers. Berries are also full of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. And they can be pricey.

If you want a really expensive pile of compost, go ahead and let your berries sit around. If you’d rather get good use out of them (all the ones you couldn’t eat in one sitting, that is) go ahead and freeze them for use later or make some jam.

If you go the jam route, you may wonder how all that works. What is jam? Why is jam? How is it different from jelly or preserves? Where is jam? Can I have your jam? Gimme that jam!

Calm down fella, there’s plenty of jam to go around.

First of all, you can make jam with almost any fruit, not just berries. Plum, apricot, grape, and citrus jams are a thing. Although citrus jams are referred to as marmalades and include the rinds, not just the center of the fruit.

Second, jams are made with whole fruits that are cooked down with sugar and acid until they are thick and spreadable. Jellies are made with strained fruit juices, therefore they contain more sugar and less fiber. Jams contain more fiber and less sugar than the average jelly. Especially if you make it yourself with less sugar.

How does jam thicken? Pectin is a type of polysaccharide, or sugar molecule, that naturally exists in plants. When you add sugar to the fruit and let it sit for a while, the cell walls start to break down and release their juices. When heat is added, this process intensifies and water evaporates, leaving a higher concentration of pectin. Adding a tiny bit of acid, say from a lemon, helps activate the pectin and encourages it to congeal and thicken.

You don’t need to add any extra pectin to any jam that has properly ripe fruit. Even if you want an extra thicc boy jam, just allow it to cool in a sunny place for up to a day (away from bugs and ants) and as the water content diminishes, you’ll be left with something truly chonky.

Homemade jam doesn’t contain preservatives like the store bought ones so will only last about a month in the fridge even if it’s properly sealed. You can always get canning jars and boil them, as per can instructions, if you want to seal them to be shelf stable for a bit longer. Please check your canning instructions that come with canning jars if you go that route for safety reasons.

If you’re looking for inspiration, check out Alice Water’s Sun-Dried Strawberry Jam recipe.

There's something vulnerable about a strawberry. Maybe it's because they carry their seeds on the outside.

Just the aroma is enough to carry you back to childhood. Imagine being able to gift some of your very own strawberry jam to someone this Christmas to remember you by. Give the gift of a memory well preserved (pun intended).

Have fun and jam on!