Heather
May 9, 20203 min
You guys, my family loves strawberries. In smoothies, on shortcakes and waffles, fresh eating, with plain yogurt and honey. But the winner of the favorite strawberry goodness around our home has to be freezer jam!
I love it because it is super easy to make, you don't need any specialized equipment, and it takes maybe an hour tops to finish. My kids and hubby love it because it keeps the taste of fresh strawberries, and is good on just about EVERYTHING.
Here is what you'll need. I've included links to the products that I used.
2 lbs fresh strawberries
1.5 c sweetener (I just use white sugar)
2 clean non metal bowls
a wooden or silicone spatula
knife and cutting board
I try to get my kids involved in the process, and I love spending the time with them chatting and goofing off as we put it all together. :)
We have a local "you pick" farm 1/2 mile from our house, so I have been on the lookout for when their strawberries are ready for picking. Unfortunately with all the rain we have been getting, and extra precautions taken because of covid-19, we haven't been able to get any this year (YET!).
Luckily I found a great deal on a bunch at our local Kroger so I snatched them up while I could.
I also have a hard time finding freezer (or instant) pectin now that we live in Tennessee, so I made sure to place an amazon order for a bunch well in advance. I also got these handy freezer containers that are plastic, they have smaller 8 oz versions here as well that we use frequently. We have used them in the past for homemade ice cream and other small serving items. They come in very handy!
I enlisted my cute little helper to top the washed strawberries for me. He did a great job and saved the tops for his chickens and ducks that he raises. Waste not want not, right. ;)
He passed the strawberries on to me for a quick chop with my most favorite kitchen tool, our pampered chef food chopper. (totally don't order it from that link, get a hold of a local pampered chef rep) You totally don't need one of these and I have chopped strawberries for freezer jam plenty of times. But with as much canning and preserving as we do. It is INVALUABLE!
Chop the strawberries into smallish chunks and throw in a bowl. When you are finished with the chopping get your sugar, freezer pectin, spoon, storage containers, and a clean bowl.
For our freezer pectin the measurements were 1.5 c sweetener plus one packet of freezer pectin mixed together.
Then add 4 c of chopped strawberries to the same bowl. Stir stir stir together for a good 3 minutes making sure the sugar and pectin are well dissolved.
Pour into your clean containers, wipe the rims with a clean paper towel, and pop the lid on. That's it!! Really! Our kids usually cant wait to dig in, so we always keep the container that didn't quite get filled up and enjoy it right away.
Freezer jam will store for about a year in the freezer. Stick it in your fridge to thaw and enjoy for up to two weeks, if it lasts that long in your house!