Jam is so much better when you make it yourself

 

Have you ever noticed how things you make yourself are inherently better?  How the fanciest bakery cakes pale in comparison to the birthday cakes your mom made?  Or how you could never bear to part with that slightly wobbly ikea dresser you drank a bottle of wine putting together after you realized you put in all the drawer slides upside down?  

There’s a really interesting article on the “Ikea Effect” about why people value things more that they make themselves.  But I feel like homemade is legitimately better, almost always.  

Strawberry Refrigerator Jam – friendly “canning” and my first stab at jam

Strawberry season is in full swing in southern California.  I nabbed 4 pints of beautiful strawberries at the grocery store this week for $1/pint!  And they’re from Watsonville, which I just learned, is just up the coast (okay, a ways up the coast) from us.  Hooray, California!