The Easiest Strawberry Jam

My wonderful neighbors have a beautiful strawberry patch. Last week I was able to go through and pick all the new fruit! I spent about two hours going through the patch and discarding rotten fruit and those that had been tarnished by slugs, but I ended up with two full gallons of delicious strawberries.

I took them home and my husband and I took turns washing and removing the stems. We have this awesome little strawberry huller tool which you can find at Winco for around $1.68. Here is where you can purchase one online. This is not sponsored at all, it seriously just makes the process of destemming strawberries so much smoother. 

Here is why I love freezer jam:

1. It is seriously so quick. You don't have to cook the strawberries and once the fruit is hulled, it takes 20 minutes for the process from start to finish.

2. No jar preparation. Unless the glass jars are tempered or labeled freezer-safe, you shouldn't use them in the freezer. This meant I could use my large supply of plastic food-storage containers to contain them. No buying new lids, washing, sanitizing, and ensuring the jars stay at the perfect temperature for optimum seal, because they don't need to seal at all. 

3. The color. The color of freezer jam is so bright. It matches more of the original color of the fruit because the fruit doesn't need to be cooked, which can sacrifice that beautiful bright red on your strawberries. Canned jam is usually darker in color. 

The downside to freezer jam is that it doesn't last quite as long as your regular canned jams. Freezer jam can be kept in the freezer for about a year, while canned jams can last on the shelf for two or more years. 

A copy of the recipe I used can be found here.

Here is what you'll need:

4 Cups of Fresh Strawberries, hulled (2 Cups mashed)

4 Cups of White Sugar

3/4 Cup of Water

1 package of Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin (The yellow box. The pink box is for low-sugar varieties)

1. After removing stems, mash up those strawberries. I used a potato masher. You can use a pastry cutter, or a fork, anything to break them down. I like small chunks of strawberry in my jam. 

2. Add sugar to the mashed strawberries and stir will. Let it enjoy each other's company for about 10 minutes.

3. Add the water to a small pot and turn on the heat. Slowly add the pectin, stirring continuously. Once it comes to a boil, keep stirring for 1 minute. It should start out cloudy and appear translucent when you're finished.

4. Stir the pectin/water mixture into your strawberry/sugar mixture. Stir for 3 minutes until you can't feel any sugar granules against your spoon. 

5. Immediately pour it into well-cleaned, small containers. It makes approximately 5 cups of jam, so divide according to your preference.

6. Store at room temperature for 24 hours. Then refrigerate or freeze. Keep in fridge up to 3 weeks. Keep in freezer up to 1 year. 

Since the recipe was so quick and easy and I had more strawberries, I was able to double the batch. Since my family loves strawberry jam so much, I'm hoping this lasts us at least six months. 

The Easiest Strawberry Jam

Ingredients

4 Cups of Fresh Strawberries, hulled (2 Cups mashed)

4 Cups of White Sugar

3/4 Cup of Water

1 package of Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin (The yellow box.)

Directions

1. After removing stems, mash up those strawberries. I used a potato masher. You can use a pastry cutter, or a fork, anything to break them down. I like small chunks of strawberry in my jam. 

2. Add sugar to the mashed strawberries and stir will. Let it enjoy each other's company for about 10 minutes.

3. Add the water to a small pot and turn on the heat. Slowly add the pectin, stirring continuously. Once it comes to a boil, keep stirring for 1 minute. It should start out cloudy and appear translucent when you're finished.

4. Stir the pectin/water mixture into your strawberry/sugar mixture. Stir for 3 minutes until you can't feel any sugar granules against your spoon. 

5. Immediately pour it into well-cleaned, small containers. It makes approximately 5 cups of jam, so divide according to your preference.

6. Store at room temperature for 24 hours. Then refrigerate or freeze. Keep in the fridge up to 3 weeks. Keep in the freezer up to 1 year.