Ok, I can't promise a recipe every week. But I can promise you'll be able to make homemade jam. And no, this recipe does not involve sterilizing jars, making wax lids, or using pectin. Just sugar and strawberries and a bit of lemon juice (fresh squeezed, always).

Freaked out that summer's nearing its end? Homemade jam is a great way to keep that summer taste on your tongue a little while longer.

You'll need a lot of fresh strawberries. Do yourself and the environment a favor and buy local. It's summer, after all, and delicious produce is aplenty. At my farmer's market I got a deal on a big crate of almost over-ripe strawberries.

Follow this recipe for some insider tips.

Strawberry Jam

Stuff you need:

9 cups of hulled and cut up strawberries (or any other seasonable fruit)

4 cups of sugar, or more for a thicker result

the juice of 1 lemon

1 big soup pot

4 small mason jars (approximately)

What you do:

After cutting up the strawberries (leave the little ones whole for chunkier jam), put them all in the pot with the sugar. Let them sit for about 10-15 minutes without any heat until the sugar dissolves. This is my great-grandmother's trick and it macerates the berries a bit before cooking.

Next add the lemon juice, turn the heat up to a moderate high, and stir occasionally as the mixture begins to boil.

Reduce the heat to a low simmer and begin skimming. This is the only slightly gross part: you have to skim the foam that rises to the surface. This is also the only part that's like making chicken soup.

Once most of the foam is gone you're good to go. And I do mean go. Leave the kitchen (but not your home), or do something else for at least 20 minutes.

Check if your jam is ready by dipping a metal spoon into the mixture for a few seconds. If the mixture coats the back of your spoon and drips off slowly, it's done. If you're not sure, simmer it for another 10 minutes and repeat.

Once the mixture seems thick--and it will get much thicker once it cools--remove the pot from the stove and allow it to cool.

Transfer into the jars.

This jam will keep in the fridge for several weeks -- without preservatives and without wax.

Homemade strawberry jam makes for an excellent gift, and it ups your baleboste-ness by at least a notch.