Strawberry Jam

My family has always made freezer jam. I can remember my mom leaving early on a bright, June morning for the strawberry patch, clad in plaid shorts and a white tank top, with a worn visor perched on her head to keep out the sun. She would leave with the car loaded up with cardboard green containers and her pockets filled with cash and would come back with quarts upon quarts of fresh, red berries. The trunk floor would be blanketed with boxes filled to the brim.

As my sister and I grew older, we'd tag along, each picking a row and silently racing to see who could get the most. Every once in awhile we'd stand up and stretch our tired backs and wipe our sweaty brows. 

Upon getting home, we'd start an assembly line. The whole kitchen would be littered with berries, bowls, packets of Certo and piles of lemons. Mom would fill the big sink up and the berries would bob happily in the clear water. Lace and I would cut up berries and stir in sugar, all the while trying to keep track of three different timers going at once. 

And then we'd proudly display our wares, lining up the crimson jars on the green, granite countertop. We'd count our stores before trucking them down to the basement to put them to rest in the big, deep freezer. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Strawberry (Freezer) Jam

Freezer jam is REALLY not that hard, as long as you have the proper tools and you prep things before beginning. And I'd recommend only doing one recipe at a time instead of multiple recipes at once like my mom, sis and I used to do =)

What you'll need:

Canning jars and lids. One recipe makes about 2 pints (4 cups) so you'll need two pint size jars. 

A few large bowls (2 or 3)

1 small bowl

a lemon reamer

a pastry cutter and/or a potato masher

Fruit Pectin. I like to use the Certo brand, because the pectin is all ready to go, no preparations necessary. If you decide to use a different type of pectin, then make sure to follow the directions very carefully to prepare it. 

1 quart (4 cups) of strawberries

1 lemon (you need 2 T. of it's juice)

4 cups sugar

1 pouch of Certo (or other fruit pectin)

Things to Prepare first:

Wash your canning jars and lids in hot soapy water. 

  Read directions thoroughly!! Every package of pectin comes with directions for each kind of jam that you'd like to make....strawberry, raspberry, peach... The directions for each jam are slightly different, so understanding your jam's directions is a must. 

Extract juice from lemon using a lemon reamer. (Love my vintage Sunkist one!)

Prep your berries. You will need 4 cups (1 quart). Wash them thoroughly...

...And then cut the stems off and cut into slices with a paring knife. 

Measure out 4 cups of sugar and set aside.

(yes, FOUR cups....don't skimp on the sugar or your jam won't set up)

Now, you are ready to make jam. 

Crush your berries. I like to use a pastry cutter first... 

...and then finish up with a potato masher. But you could probably just use a potato masher. 

Using a bowl with a large, flat bottom area, or using a 9 x 13 pan will make this easier.

Remember, jam is supposed to have chunks, so don't crush them to oblivion!

Measure 2 cups of crushed fruit, exactly.

Stir crushed berries into a big bowl with the sugar. 

Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

While waiting, stir together 2 T. of your lemon juice 

and 1 pouch of Certo Fruit Pectin in a small bowl.

(unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic of this!)

After the 10 minutes have passed, stir the lemon juice/fruit pectin into your sugar/berry mixture. 

Stir constantly for 3 minutes, until sugar is completely dissolved.

You should have roughly four cups of jam. Pour into prepared jars, tighten the lid and let sit on the counter until jam sets, up to 24 hours. 

Then you're done! You can put a jar in the fridge to enjoy right away, or put them all in the freezer for long-term storage. When you are ready to enjoy some homemade jam, put a jar into the fridge to thaw.