Creative Family: Strawberry Jam

By freshlyplanted - 2:52 PM

Here's a special treat for your Friday, friends! This freezer strawberry jam is so easy to make, the hardest part is waiting the 24 hours for it to set. If you lick the bowl and spoon in the meantime to make the most of the strawberry goodness, you're in good company (wink).

The recipe was found on the Sure-Jell website:

4 cups crushed strawberries (1 qt. will be plenty)

4 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

1 pkg. Fruit Pectin (I used Sure-Jell, see additional pectin notes below)

Sanitize your containers & lids with boiling water then dry thoroughly. Since these jars aren't actually sealing, you can re-use canning lids (which I always mark with an "X" after being used so I don't try to can with them again).
De-stem your strawberries, and mash thoroughly. This is a great job for kids! We started with one cup at a time and used our pasty blender. You can also use your food processor (even quicker!) but make sure it stays chunky. We're making jam, not jelly (smile).
Stir in sugar (great kid job again) and let it sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Mix water & pectin in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly- otherwise it can lump on you. Once boiling, continue stirring for another minute before removing from heat and adding to your strawberry mixture (adult's job, of course). Stir for another three minutes vigorously to incorporate pectin and dissolve sugar.
Fill containers- we had a mixed collection, including baby food jars- immediately to within 1/2 inch of the top. A jar funnel works wonders with this, and I'm so happy I finally have one. Wipe off edges with a clean, damp cloth and quickly put on lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
Store in refrigerator for three weeks (or more, we've never had an issue) or in the freezer up to 1 year. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator before use.

And now pictures of Ball jars on our old window-ledge, because that's a favorite sight.

Especially when there's a sweet girl with an apron underneath them!

A healthier alternative to the four cups of sugar (oy) would be using a low-sugar pectin. Since we don't make a meal out of jam, I've haven't minded the sugar that much. But I would like to try a low-sugar one in the future, the one below from Pomona allows you to use honey, agave, stevia or a multitude of other choices. Sweetness!

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