PYO Strawberries

We went to a Pick Your Own Strawberry patch last week.  It is somewhat of a summer ritual for us.  We look forward to going to the patch all year long.  Strawberries are very easy to pick.  All the plants are neatly organized in wide rows(how they manage to get the strawberry runners to stay in place, I have no idea).

Rows of strawberry plants

Boxes, carts provided to haul the berries back to the weighing station. 

Picking berries

Our kids love picking berries,way more than we can use.

As a result of all that extra berries lying around every year, my dh suggested homemade jams.  I tried making some and they were way tastier than store ones.  So, now I make jams (almost) every year.  The combination of warm jam and bread is irresistible. 

Homemade jams.

I ended up with 6 pints of jams.  Even without the "boiling water canning", my jams in the fridge have lasted for over a year without any taste change.  However, it is suggested refrigerating for upto 3 weeks without sealing and for 1 year when the jars are sealed through the water canning method.  This year, I refrigerated few jars and processed the rest through the boiling water(just in case).  The next day, they had a nice tight seal, so I feel good.  Any of you have any experience with making and canning jams?  How long did your jams last?