Strawberry Freezer Jam

I purchased a flat of organic strawberries and had to process them before they started to spoil.  Strawberry jam is one thing my Mom made every year.  We would go pick strawberries as a family, eat them until we could eat no more, make jam and freeze it for use during the year.  It was great to wake up to breakfast with this easy to make jam.  The great thing about making your own is you can control the amount of sugar that you use – plus it tastes much fresher than the store-bought jams.

I used the Ball brand Fruit Pectin.

The instructions are easy to follow inside the box and you get plenty of recipes to follow (Berry jam- Blueberry, Blackberry, Raspberry) Cherry (Sweet or Sour), Peach, Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Kiwi… just pick up a box!)

Strawberry Freezer Jam

• 1 box Ball Fruit Pectin
• 3/4 cup water
• Strawberries (2-1 lb boxes)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 cups sugar

1. Clean the strawberries and remove the stem and slice the strawberries.  Place them in a large bowl, add lemon juice and stir. Mash them with a potato masher (in batches works best).  Add the 4 cups of sugar and stir to coat the strawberries.  You may want to mash them again as they soften.  It is recommended to let them sit for 10 minutes to let the sugar pull the juices out of the berries.
2. In a small sauce pan combine 3/4 cup water and one package of the fruit pectin.  Whisk to combine and heat over high heat until it is at a brisk boil.  Boil the pectin whisking constantly for one minute.
3. Stir the gelatin into the bowl of strawberries and stir for 3 minutes.  Ladle the strawberry jam into small containers, but be sure to leave about 1/2 inch head room for it to expand when you freeze it.  Place in the refrigerator to cool for up to 24 hours (but no more) and then freeze.  Use the strawberry jam within a year of freezing it.  It will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.  Enjoy.

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