8:58 pm - 78 degrees - smoky, windy...
This morning we had a Jam-In! It’s when several of us (usually my mom and
sister) will get together and make a ton of freezer jam – usually around 60-80
pints.
Today was slightly
different. I had several girls from my
Girl Scout troop come up and I showed them how to make freezer jam. We made 34 pints of delicious homemade strawberry freezer jam. It was a messy, sticky, fun learning
experience!
 |
| Girls were cleaning and cutting up the strawberries. |
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| We had four batches going at the same time, all at different stages. |
Freezer jam does have two drawbacks. The first drawback is it’s not shelf-stable. For long-term storage, all freezer jam must go
in the freezer – hence the name. However,
if you don’t have a ton of freezer space, freezer jam can be prepared and
poured into quart-size Ziploc bags.
Squeeze out the air, seal the bags and stack them flat in the freezer. When you need more jam, just thaw a bag, empty
the contents of the bag into a jar, put it into the fridge and enjoy.
The second drawback (well, not
really) is our kids got so used to eating delicious homemade freezer jam that
it didn’t take long before they were sticking their noses up at store-bought
jam, and every other kind of jam or jelly, except for freezer jam. I can’t blame them though because honestly we
all prefer the fresh, delicious taste of freezer jams.
To make freezer jam, all you
need is ripe fruit, sugar, and pectin.
That’s it! Quick and easy and
before you know it, you’ll be proudly scooping up homemade jam for toast,
biscuits, scones, waffles, pancakes, crepes, ice cream, smoothies, cake filling,
etc!
~Strawberry Freezer Jam~
2 cups crushed fresh
strawberries
4 cups sugar
1 pkg Sure Jell Premium Fruit
Pectin
3/4 cup water
Mash strawberries with potato
masher or in a food processor until slightly chunky (not pureed). Jam should have bits of fruit. Once the strawberries are crushed to a size
you want, measure out 2 cups and put into a large bowl.
Stir sugar into the strawberries,
mixing well. Let stand at room
temperature for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir 1 box of pectin and 3/4 cup
water in a 1-quart saucepan. Bring to a
boil on high heat, stirring constantly.
Boil for 1 minute, while still stirring constantly.
Pour hot pectin mixture over
strawberry mixture. Stir constantly for
3 minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy; whichever
is longer. (A few sugar crystals may
remain).
Immediately spoon jam into
washed and prepared containers, leaving 1/2 –inch headspace. Wipe rims of containers and seal. Let stand at room temperature for about 24
hours or until set.
Store in the freezer for up to
a year, or store in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks. Thaw frozen jam and stir before serving.
{Note: You must measure carefully, jam making is an
exact process and if you don’t measure correctly, you’ll have unsuccessful
results. Measure the exact amount of
sugar, reducing the sugar or using a sugar substitutes will result in set
failures. If you want to make more than
one batch, do not try to double the recipe, instead make two separate
batches. We usually have several
batches, all in their own bowls, going at the same time.}
One batch will fill 3 pint jars with a little left over.
One batch will fill 3 pint jars with a little left over.
--- Enjoy!
If you are curious, here is the cost breakdown. We always do a lot of batches at once, so this is the breakdown for 3 dozen jars of freezer jam - 36 pints (cost will depend on sales and qty purchased):
If you are curious, here is the cost breakdown. We always do a lot of batches at once, so this is the breakdown for 3 dozen jars of freezer jam - 36 pints (cost will depend on sales and qty purchased):
36 jars = $34.47
36 plastic lids = $8.16
12 SureJell Pectin = $46.50
25 lbs sugar = $15
24 lbs whole strawberries = $47.88
TOTAL = $152.01 (breaks down to $4.22 a jar)
