Yumm.....Grandpa Jam

The hubby stopped at a strawberry patch last Sunday for me. I wanted some freshly picked berries so that I could make some wonderful Grandpa Jam (aka freezer jam).

There's nothing better!!!

I miss the gramps so much and I will always remember when I said good-bye to him before I left the farm he would say "Jeannie, go down to the cellar - there's something in the freezer for you". I would then bring that precious jam home and hide it from my kids so that I didn't have to share. Yes, I'm a terrible mother but hey, we're talking about Grandpa Jam here. It's every man for themselves!!

All those years that gramps was giving me that tasty jam that he made I always thought that it was his "secret" recipe. I even mentioned it in front of him one time and after he finished laughing he told me that yup, its such a secret that they put it on the back of the Sure-Gel box.

I was devastated!!

Here all these years I thought my gramps was the best jam maker that the world has seen. I mean, how many people do you know that keep jam in the freezer?

Anyway, a few years ago I begged my mom to make me a batch of jam to get me through the winter. Gramps had taught her how to make it and she was really good at it. Her and dad were leaving for three months to go south and I needed a jam fix.

She refused.

I panicked.

She told me there was no reason why I couldn't tackle making jam myself. That way when I ran out of it I could make my own.

So I did. And it was wonderful.

I made some on Sunday night and then sent a text message to both kids.

"I have a jar of Grandpa Jam for the first one to bring me a baby."

Actually, one batch was enough for all three of us but I thought I would use it as a little leverage. Tony's been over several times this week but has walked out without his jam. If he leaves it too long I'll have to claim it for myself.

I plan on stopping by that berry batch again this weekend and whip up a few more batches. It's a long winter and I'll need my jam to get me through it.

Thanks gramps for the wonderful jam. It will be passed on for generations.