1. Seek out a cheap deal on strawberries that are in season, get mason jars, tongs, sugar, pectin.
2. Wash the little guys and take their green tops off.
3. Get some anger out and smash those little guys up.
4. Boil, boil and boil some more.
Um, and boil ALOT more because you live 6300ft. altitude.
(Our mistake.)
5. Add waaaay too much sugar.
6. Look back at your Pioneer Woman cookbook for the thousandth time to see if you are doing everything just right.
7. Boil the mason jars in the pans you borrow from your mom cuz you don't have any huge pans for boiling.
8. Stop and wonder why you are doing this in a 128 degree kitchen on a hot summer day, in a house with no air-conditioning.
9. Remember that this is quality time with your sweet daughter.
10. And she won't remember the sweat. Just the moment.
11. Carefully put the steamy hot jars on the counter and carefully put the steamy hot jam in them. Remembering that the sugary sticky red stuff shouldn't touch the top.
12. Wipe your brow of sweat and smile.
12. OMG. Boil them again to seal the tops.
13. Look at eachother and smile. Then pass out on the couch with the fan on you, hoping that the jars will pop and seal.
14. OMG. Clean up.
15. Let them sit and thicken for up to 48 hours on the counter.
16. Find out they didn't thicken and have a sad face.
17. Tie 'em up cute and still give them away and tell everyone that the jelly is more like syrup for pancakes or ice cream.
18. Lastly, when your darling daughter says "Mama, we should make this tradition...and do canning every year!!" You say an enthusiastic... "Yes!"
