Strawberry Freezer Jam

Fresh picked strawberry

One of the reasons why we decided to move to the Pacific Northwest is because of the great investment made into local agriculture up here. When we visited here in October 2007, still as New Yorkers, we immediately fell in love with the grapefruit-sized onions, the sweet crunchy apples and the flavorful tomatoes. After that trip we probably spent hours fantasizing about being able to hop into a car and go buy farm fresh fruits and veggies straight from the source. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that dreams don’t come true, because this last weekend we went and picked about 8 or 9 pounds of fresh strawberries from a farm about an hour and a half north of us.

Picking strawberries

It was a beautiful day – a little cool, but not too cool, and luckily we didn’t have to compete with too many people.

Unpicked strawberries

There were so many gorgeous strawberries, and the smell of them was intoxicating. After picking them for about half an hour, our hands were stained pink and red and the smell of the berries lingered even after we left.

When you pick so many strawberries – or any berry for that matter – you really have to have a pretty immediate plan for their fate. Strawberries begin to break down in the hours after being picked, so it’s wise to try to use them the same day that you pick them or to use them the next day at the latest. Among the obvious things you can do with strawberries, like making fresh strawberry shortcake or strawberry lemonade, you can also freeze them for later use in smoothies, desserts and sauces. But one thing that I had never done, yet I have always wanted to do, was make strawberry freezer jam.

Freezer jam has always appealed to me because it doesn’t require cooking the fruit or boiling the jars. It’s a much faster process than traditional canning, and you store your jam in the freezer and refrigerator instead of your cabinet (so make sure you have room). Even though I knew it was supposed to be pretty easy, I had no idea how simple and easy it was until I did it. It’s beyond easy! It’s so simple that your kids can do this – and probably without your help. I’m completely sold on freezer jam and you can bet I’ll be making other kinds as other fruits are ready to harvest over the next few months.

Strawberry Freezer Jam
This recipe is taken from the back of the Ball Instant Fruit Pectin package – my recommendation is that you start off using the recipe off of your pectin product, and then experiment once you’re comfortable. One of the primary reasons for this is because there are different pectin products – low sugar, liquid, powder, instant, etc. – and some call for very little sugar or a lot of sugar. Get comfortable then experiment.

• 4 cups crushed or pureed strawberries (tops removed, and cleaned)
• 1 1/2 cups vegan sugar
• 1 1.59-ounce package Ball Instant Fruit Pectin (this is a no cook version)
• 5 or 6 8-ounce freezer or jelly jars (or you can probably use 3 pint jars)

First make sure you have clean jars. Even though these came sealed from the store, I still ran the jars through the dishwasher and washed the lids by hand. Also have your chosen pectin on hand – again, follow the recipe off of the package.

Canning jars and pectin

After you have washed and trimmed your strawberries, place them into a large bowl and with a potato masher mash the strawberries. Alternatively you can puree them if you do not like your jam to have chunks of fruit in them. Either way, make sure you have four cups of mashed or pureed strawberries.

Mashing the strawberries

In a separate bowl mix together the sugar and pectin. Since this recipe is instant, I do not have to boil the pectin on the stove.

Then combine the sugar and pectin with the mashed strawberries.

Nearly there!

Once everything is well combined, start ladling the mixture into your jars.

Finishing up the jam!

Just three more jars to go...

Put the lids on once you’re done. Let sit for half an hour, then stick them all in the freezer.

My very first strawberry freezer jam!

The jam will last for one year in the freezer and three weeks in the refrigerator. It’s a good idea to write the date on the lid of your jar so down the road you’ll know how much time is left to consume your jam.

Make sure to add today's date to your jam

And of course, I had to try my strawberry jam right away, so I made a nice, warm batch of biscuits. It tastes amazing! It’s very sweet, but a perfect balance with that morning toast or bread, and it’s not too runny. Some people might prefer a thicker jam, so you may either want to experiment with different brands of pectin or do a little bit of internet research to see what brands will yield a thicker recipe.

Mmmmm....

The biggest win for me, though – and as corny as this sounds – is that it tasted like freedom to me. Why? Because I have never in my life made jam before and I feel as though I’ve added another category of food to the “I can make that!” column. I’ve always bought it, and as much as I love the taste of a good quality store-bought (or farm-bought) jam, nothing compares to your own. I’m now able to both support my local farms and make something that I can truly call my own. It’s a sweet, sweet victory for me!

Have you ever made freezer jam, or any kind of jam for that matter? If so, what is your favorite kind?

Tagged as: fruit pectin, strawberries, strawberry, vegan sugar