Strawberry Freezer Jam
Sauces & Condiments | Kid Friendly | Fruits
START TO FINISH: 20 minutes, plus 24 hours to set
Cooking Notes
We tested this recipe using Sure Jell® Fruit Pectin. Other pectin products are available but may require a different amount of water, fruit and/or sugar. Check the recipe inside your pectin package for the freezer jam recipe and follow those directions exactly as other pectin products are NOT interchangeable with this recipe. If you are interested in a “less sugar” jam, there is a separate pectin product for this recipe, but do not be tempted to vary the printed recipe at all.
The jam may be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or frozen up to one year. Thaw the frozen jam in the refrigerator.
Strawberry Freezer Jam
2 cups crushed fresh strawberries (about 1 quart whole berries)
4 cups granulated sugar
1 package Sure-Jell ® powdered pectin (see Note)
3/4 cup water
Wash and thoroughly dry jam containers and lids. (We used 1-cup plastic containers purchased at the grocery store.) Set aside.
Rinse strawberries, and drain in a colander. Remove and discard strawberry caps. Place strawberries in the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped. (Do not over-process. You want some chunks.) Or use a potato masher.
Measure fruit to the exact amount: 2 cups. Place fruit in a large bowl. Stir sugar into prepared fruit, and let mixture rest 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir pectin into water in a small saucepan, and heat over high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Pour pectin into bowl with sugar and fruit. Stir until all sugar is dissolved. (A few sugar crystals may remain. This is okay.)
Pour jam into prepared containers, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top for expansion during freezing. Let jam containers stand for 24 hours at room temperature, and then refrigerate or freeze immediately.
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Freezer jam simply involves a bit of boiling water to dissolve the pectin and sugar. That’s it. (The reason it’s called freezer jam is because it must be stored in the freezer to preserve it since it does not go through the traditional canning process.) The only secret is that you must follow the directions EXACTLY. (That means no substitutions, doubling, decreasing or other variations are allowed if you want successful jam.)
The various manufacturers of pectin products (I used Sure Jell ®) have calculated the exact portions needed for successful jam and have made it as simple as one, two, three.
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Approximate Values Per tablespoon: 42 calories (0% from fat), 0 g fat (0 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, .18 g dietary fiber, .22 mg sodium
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From Anita Butler - May 21, 2010
Our family has made strawberry freezer jam for over 50 years and cannot do without it. We have switched over to using the Ball pectin because the boxed powder version seems to set up a little firmer than the SureJell. Ball also makes a packet but that does NOT set up well. I forget what the difference is between the box and the packet. And from experience, do NOT try to make more than one batch at a time or you will have very runny jam.
In fact, we think strawberry freezer jam is far superior to cooked jam that we have often wondered why some company like Smuckers doesn’t market it. Or why restaurants like Bob Evans or Cracker Barrel don’t serve it.