5/21/12

Strawberry Freezer Jam 101




Raise your hand if you have never made jam.
Cooked or freezer.
Serious??
You've never made jam?
This post is about to change your life. A happy life. You can have it. Once you have made your own jam. And it's sitting on your counter. Every time you walk by, it will make you smile. It will make you feel like you have accomplished something. Tuck it away in your freezer. Take a new jar out every few weeks. Smile again. You are worth it. Your family is worth it. Happiness in a jar.
Have I convinced you yet?
Here it is, step by step instructions. This is simple. Takes about an hour start to finish to make about 6 pint jars*. Six months worth of smiles.
You'll never go back to store bought.
Promise.






Start with fresh, ripe strawberries. Two pints of strawberries.  Wash, hull and cut in half. Set aside. Prepare jars too. Wash and dry 1-2 cup jars or plastic containers. Make sure to have tight fitting lids.



Crush the strawberries with a food masher, food processor or blender. Don't puree too much, the jam should have bits of fruit. Pour berries into a measuring cup. You will need two cups of crushed berries.


 Measure out 4 cups of sugar and set aside. This step is important. I can't begin to tell you how many times I used to dump sugar into the bowl of crushed strawberries, and then lost count. Whoops. Now I always pre-measure into a separate bowl.



Stir the sugar into the crushed fruit in a large bowl. Mix well. Let stand for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.


Stir one box of Sure Jell Pectin and 3/4 cup cold water in a small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.





Stir pectin mixture into fruit mixture. Stir constantly until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy, about 3 minutes. A few sugar crystals may remain.




Pour the jam into prepared containers, leaving about 1/2 inch space at the top for expansion during freezing. I like to use a funnel made for canning as shown above. It fits into any size jar, and makes it easy to fill jars with liquids. I think I paid about $1 for it about 20 years ago.


 Almost done! After filling the jars, take a clean washcloth that is a little moist, and go around the edge of the jar to remove any jam that may have slopped over the edge.





Screw on the lids tightly. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours until set. Refrigerate up to three weeks, or store in freezer for up to one year. Thaw in refrigerator.
PS - I left that jar opened on the left for ahhhem, testing purposes.







Strawberry Freezer Jam
Sure Jell Pectin recipe
print recipe

2 cups crushed fresh strawberries (about 2 pints)
4 cups sugar
1 (1.75 ounce) package Sure Jell 100% Natural Premium Fruit Pectin
3/4 cup water

Mix crushed strawberries with sugar, and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the pectin into the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 1 minute. Stir the boiling water/pectin into the strawberries. Mix well.
Ladle the jam into clean jars or other plastic containers.
Place tops on the containers, and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. 
Place into freezer, and store frozen until ready to use.
Yield 3 pints
Tips:
-It's always a temptation to double the recipe in one bowl. I did this for several years to save time, against the warnings from experienced jam makers. After batches of runny or not quite right jam, I have learned to stick with one batch at a time in a bowl. I still make more than one batch at a time, just use a separate bowl for each batch. 
-*I always make a double batch. 
-Four cups sounds like a lot of sugar, and it is! If you want to cut the amount of sugar, look for the low-sugar box of pectin. It works well. If you cut the sugar in this recipe, and use the Sure Jell pectin I used, your jam will turn out runny. Follow directions, choose the right pectin while at the grocery. 
-I have used various types of pectin, and like Sure Jell the best. Some brands require using Corn Syrup in addition to sugar. With the Sure Jell freezer recipe, it's just fruit, sugar, water and pectin.

23 comments:

  1. The sure-jell I used this weekend said "mcp" and "by the makers of sure jell". Don't get that one... :( You just sprinkled pectin in the fruit (before the sugar). And it did have corn syrup in recipe also. I wasn't happy with results. It took one batch hours for it not to be grainy. None of them looked like they were setting well and I was very precise on measurement and instructions. (did two batches strawberry and one of strawberry raspberry.) What a waste if they aren't any good... Will have to look more closely at the boxes I buy next time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jill, I've had the same experience. So Now I try to stick with this brand.
      I think you will love the result of this brand and method. It tastes really fresh.

      Delete
  2. Strawberry Freezer Jam is my favorite. Its making way is outstanding. I would like to take it. Thanks mate. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wahoo!! It's like you read my mind this morning when I was thinking it was time to learn how to make this instead of constantly begging it off my aunt or sister in law. Have you ever tried a strawberry/peach combo...oh.my.gosh, so good! I'm going to try strawberry/apricot this year too. I can wait! Thanks for the recipe!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. My kids LOVE strawberry freezer jam! I must get busy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Brownie Mom. They'll love this. We should make jam together sometime :)

      Delete
  5. Have you ever made freezer jam with beet juice? I grew up with my mom would add jello or something to it to make different flavors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Never tried beet juice! It sounds messy :o
      I have heard of the jello methods, which I think people started using to produce better color/flavor, but I love the result all around with this recipe. Great flavor, nice color. Let me know if you experiment with beet juice!

      Delete
  6. I am making this. For me and for the girls I visit teach. And YOUR jam is even better than anyone else's homemade jam. I want some right now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I tried this at a friend's house a couple of years ago and was hooked. I've been making it ever since and now my kids won't even look at store bought jam anymore! Good thing it's so easy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sallie, I agree, it's hard to go back once you've had home made freezer jam!

      Delete
  8. I love everything strawberry! Will most def try this one! Great pics! I hope you don't mind, but what kind of cam do you use? Thanks! :)

    Just followed you on Google Friend Connect. Hope I get a follow back. Thank you! :)

    www.themommist.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mommist,
      I use a Cannon T1i
      thanks for following :)

      Delete
  9. My mom's homemade recipe was similar to this, but hers had lemon juice. If I add lemon juice will it still turn out okay?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Abbyjo, Some recipes do call for lemon juice. It depends on the type of pectin you are using, I believe. Usually those recipes also call for using corn syrup. The lemon juice will add a tartness to the strawberries. I don't think it will effect the way the jam sets up, so, yes, if you want to add the lemon juice, give it a try. Let us know how it turns out :)

      Delete
  10. in case it's helpful to anyone who makes this in the future ... i used one of those huge costco cartons of strawberries and it made a double batch with a few left over. i also used little pint sized mason jars and it made 14 :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. re-reading this, they were actually HALF pint jars. 8 oz :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. What did I do wrong if I made this recipe and it only yielded 2, 16 oz. jars?

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is really good! I plan to use this recipe for my first time! :) I have 720 ml jars. Will that work well for one batch? :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Can this be altered for raspberry jam? I can't seem to find a good raspberry freezer jam that isn't too runny or overly sweet. :( I hate to waste precious raspberries trying out batches that don't work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pacakage directions are the directions here. I believe raspberry jam is a little different, so open the package and look, there is always a printed pamphlet inside. Look under the freezer jam directions. But basically, the same, fruit, sugar and pectin! Good luck!

      Delete

Tell us how you really feel...