Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Strawberry Freezer Jam

So for the last few years I have wanted to make strawberry jam.  My two good friends Chris and Amy always make such yummy yummy strawberry jam that I wanted some for myself.  It seems like the strawberry season slips by me and I never do it.  This year I swore I was going to do it.  Then I could never really find a good price on strawberries so I kept putting it off and putting it off.  Then one day while I was at my Mom's her neighbor came by and asked if she wanted any of her strawberries off her plants.  So lo and behold I got strawberries.  That means I was really committed.  I was scared.  (of what I'm not sure---I guess failure).  Any way I did it today...my first attempt at strawberry freezer jam.
This is the pectin I used...thanks to my good friend Amy!  Thanks Amy!
It was an instant pectin (I didn't even know there was such a thing!!!).  You didn't have to cook the fruit at all.  Just mix a pkg of the pectin and 1 & 1/2 C. sugar and 4 C. of crushed strawberries.  Stir for 3 minutes.  Then place in clean containers.  Freeze for up to 1 year. (These are just the instructions from the pkg...I didn't do anything special).  It was really quite easy.  It did take a few hours.  I had two big popcorn bowls full and it made a little over 12 C. of crushed strawberries.  So I needed 3 pkgs of pectin and 4 & 1/2 C. sugar.  Then I got 9 containers worth.  The pkg says that each pkg makes 5 pints.

I'll have to let you know how it tastes!  I am way excited and really proud of myself!

Do any of you have any canning or jam experiences or advice for the rest of us?!?!?!  For example I am wondering if you can put the freezer jam in other containers?  Such as cottage cheese containers?