Strawberry Freezer Jam

So, strawberry freezer jam. It was my first time making it. We picked strawberries at the farm on Saturday morning; people were getting off the hayride with enormous baskets of berries. I asked a few of them what they were going to do with them, and they said "Freezer jam!" and they looked really happy. So I thought I'd give it a try.

I just followed the recipe on the Sure-Jell box. Basically you crush up some fruit, add a WHOOOOOLE LOT of sugar (unless you use the special pectins that allow you to use less — next time I'll do this, now that I know), dissolve the pectin in boiling water, stir it all together, and put it in jars (except I think I was supposed to use plastic containers, but I didn't have any). Then store them in the refrigerator or freezer. That's as specific as I'm going to get, so please see the Sure-Jell web site for further information, and there are about a million bloggers out there who are making freezer jam these days. You really don't want further information from me because I am certainly no expert here. You don't even know if I have botulism ["botch"-ilism] yet from my jam.

My mother always made jelly, and my overriding memory of that is scorching hot summer weather, my mother painstakingly preparing pile after pile of fruit, big bulb-y bags of cheesecloth hanging off of cabinet-door handles for hours and hours, the admonitions not to touch them lest the jelly be cloudy (so you could not get in there to get a water glass, even though it was 90 degrees and not cloudy, the irony), much consternation about whether things had been sterilized properly/measured properly/boiled properly/sealed properly, my father worriedly coming into the kitchen to supervise the procedure (so you knew it was serious business). It seemed like one of those horrible things adults had to go through, and you just felt sorry for them, and tried to call as little attention to yourself as possible so no one would remember to enlist your help with any of it. I have a dramatic family, but still.

As an adult, not in a million bobillion years has it occurred to me to want to make jelly. It has gone on that list with reupholstering, starting seeds, and making pie crust from scratch, among other domestic-y things that I just say "Pass!" on, even though many other people seem to enjoy these things, or even insist that they really aren't that hard. My mother still makes jelly, so it must have just seemed brutal, but been worth it in the end. And I must say, however, that one of my few childhood taste-memories is of Mom's homemade ballet-pink blushy apple jelly, so it must have made some kind of positive impression on me. But I've still never had the urge to make jelly myself (preferring cinnamon on toast, as I do).

However, if you find yourself with too many strawberries (or almost any other kind of fruit), freezer jam is easy. And besides, if you have sticker paper (of course you do, 'cause it's awesome) from the office-supply store you can print out pretty labels, which . . . who doesn't love that? NOBODY.

Comments

[Delilah]

Hi Alicia,
I remember my Mom making plum jam/jelly and apple butter. I've tried making them and failed ... but your freezer jam looks possible and I'll give it a try. I also make my own piecrust and it IS easy.

[sukey]

my husband makes marmalades. he started with blood oranges (beautiful color) and recently did a lemon one. both good on sourdough toast. yum

[emily ruth]

my grandma taught my sister how to make jam but i missed the lesson because i was in my grandpa's wood shop learning how to use the table saw & drill...i have never regretted that ever...i agree with you, too hard & hot! but this? this looks lovely & as usual you are helping me think about trying something new...thanks:)

[kari]

We made freezer jam this year. I was pleased how easy it was, but sort of appalled by how much sugar goes into it!

[emily ruth]

ps the label link didn't work for me...might just be me but i thought i'd let you know...

[Kim]

Jelly has been on my list of won't do unless a loved one's life depends on it things. Freezer jam, however, is one of lifes major pleasures.

[Marie]

i remember my mom making freezer jam with blueberries. She recruited my brother and i to pick all the blueberries out in the fields. The jam came out beautifully!! She also used to make strawberry rhubarb jam and that was my all time favorite.

[Lisa]

Are your berries Kruger berries? If so, I too was out there Saturday morning (9-11am) and took the tractor ride to the "good field" as Farmer Don lovely called it! I will be blogging about it soon but have pictures up on flickr...what a perfect morning for berry picking!

I too made freezer jam, just couldn't handle making stovetop jam on such a hot weekend!

[beverly]

I made freezer jam yesterday, too! I was a bit alarmed at the amount of sugar needed, so I'll go for that other pectin next time myself.

I think there should be plastic containers that look like the pretty glass ones for freezer jam. It would make everything just a little more wonderful!

[Carolyn]

"botch"-ilism ... got it ... you are too funny! Looks yummy ... may I have some please? On dainty toast points with a cup of tea? :) I gotta make this, or find someone who will do it for me. Not lazy, just sometimes inept ... hey, I admit it, ok? :) Thanks for sharing, sweety. xxoo

[Amy G.]

OK, that does it. This holiday weekend is going to be all about making freezer jam here! You sold me with the sticker labels.

[Maria Fiscella]

Thank you, Alicia!

[Bridgette]

Things are so much simpler today!

[Nanette]

I love freezer jam but haven't made it for a couple years. Yours looks so so cute. Those labels are so darling.

[Gemma]

This is one of the reasons why I love you. Because I totally get the feeling that the only reason you made it was so that you could use those labels!

[suzanne b.]

I really appreciate this info. We have a peach tree that is groaning under the weight of its peaches, and once they are ripe I can never keep up. Freezer jam is a good idea. :)

[HeidiAnn]

Like I said before - yummy. This post ALMOST makes me want to try it. My sister cans a lot, her stuff is always great. Reading this also reminded me of the delicious homemade apple butter that our piano teacher used to make. Walking into her home and smelling that - priceless. Safeway used to sell a brand years ago that came very close. It's still one of my favorite toppings for buttered toast. Okay - getting hungry now.

[Mike]

OMG...yes! Strawberry freezer jam is the best. My mother-in-law made it for years. I miss it (and her) very much! Thanks for sharing.

[Adventures in Mommyland]

I have been making this jam for as long as I can remember (so has my mom and grandma). I didn't know you could make it with less sugar...thanks! I love that I can have my own home made treat every day of the year and it is so easy and cheap! I would like to start making something other than strawberry though, I am getting a little "burnt out" on it. I love the label by the way! Super cute!
Oh yeah, and I NEVER use plastic...I always use jars and it works out just fine. Plastic is no good anyway:)

[Briana]

I made the full sugar recipe (seriously, TWICE as much sugar as fruit???), and I think my teeth almost fell out. It was way too sugary for me, so I made the too-sugary batch into yogurt-fruit juice popsicles, which are pretty tasty. Then, I made the "no-sugar-needed" stuff and oh man was it SOOOO much better. I am already a stickler for the All-Fruit kinds of store bough jam, so I made my strawberry freezer jam with apple juice instead of water and then added just a mere 1/4 cup of sugar to the mix. It tastes divine, because it actually tastes like strawberries instead of sugar syrup.
Just my own freezer jam story!

[Meryl]

And it tastes SO FREAKING GOOD!

http://www.mybitofearth.net/2008/06/strawberry-wond.html

[Julie]

I love the way your freezer jelly keeps its bright red strawberry color. Looks yummy...Can you make us some warm-from-the-oven buttery biscuits to go with it, please? I'd like to taste it!

[Susan Ramey Cleveland]

Your jam is beautiful.

[Lora]

Using glass jars for freezer jam is fine...I do it all the time without any ill effects. As for jelly, I make that, too...but, I don't start with whole fruit. As long as you use 100% juice (no sugar added) you can just start from there. The recipe is included with the Sure-Gel box. My grandma made crabapple jelly every summer, starting with the whole fruit, and that's what prompted me to make my own, with a little shortcut. Store-bought jelly just isn't as good!

[Verity]

Thanks! Looks delicious.