Strawberry Freezer Jam

Making jam sounds like a very labor intensive and scary process, better left to Laura Ingalls Wilder and cute little old ladies…am I right? WRONG! At least for freezer jam. It is so amazingly easy!! No more making excuses. You need to make this.

This was my summer project as a kid. My parents decided since I was the one eating all the jam that I needed to be the one making it (My sister had to do the pickles for the same reason).  Somehow, though, I had forgotten about making freezer jam until recently. I usually snag a jar or two when I visit my parents, but I guess lately I’ve been flying and haven’t taken any food, cause I was all out of strawberry jam!

Since I’m a spoiled brat and won’t eat store-bought jam, it was time to make my own. Throughout the past few months I’ve been cutting and freezing strawberries as they were on sale, so I already had plenty to use. Fresh or frozen works fine for this recipe! I like a lot of big berry pieces, so I just use a potato masher. You could use a food processor, just don’t turn it into a strawberry puree. You want it chunky!

Now, let’s talk about pectin. I used Sure-Jell. I would imagine you could use any kind of powdered pectin with this recipe, but I don’t know that for a fact. Any one else know?? If for some reason you can’t find Sure-Jell or want to use a different powdered pectin they all come with freezer jam recipes on them…just follow those! Don’t use that an excuse for not jamming this summer

Last but not least, should we address the elephant in the room? The four cups of sugar in this recipe?? Please don’t freak out. It’s ok, I promise. I mean, do we even want to know what is in the store-bought kind? At least you know exactly what is in this homemade jam: “a few strawberries and a whole lotta sugar”. Thank you Dad, for that enlightening tip when I asked for the recipe 😉

But really. Go make this jam! It’s the.best.jam.EVER. I eat this with a spoon. I would drink it with a straw if the chunks of strawberries didn’t get in the way. Have I convinced you yet? You’ll be feeling all Little House on the Prairie in no time!

~Stephanie

Strawberry Freezer Jam (recipe from Sure-Jell Pectin packet)

  • 4 c diced strawberries
  • 4 c sugar
  • 3/4 c water
  • 1 pack Sure-Jell pectin
  1. In large bowl, stir sugar into berries. Let stand 10 minutes.
  2. In a small sauce pan, whisk pectin into water until dissolved. Bring to a boil.
  3. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  4. Pour into strawberries and continue to stir for 3 minutes, until mixture is no longer grainy.
  5. Ladle into freezer safe containers (makes ~5 cups). Let sit on counter for 24 hours with lids on.
  6. If using immediately, put in refrigerator. Otherwise keep in freezer for up to 1 year.