Ah, spring. I love the flowers in bloom, the warmer days but nights that are still cool, thunderstorms, and the start of the plethora of produce that the sunshine brings. Of all the wonderful things about spring, I think I love strawberries the most. I remember my dad taking me and my brother strawberry-picking in Ohio when we were little kids. Sweet, juicy strawberries that I would pluck and eat despite me dad scolding me not to – the idea of pay-by-weight was not something I could comprehend back then, lol!
I’d heard there were strawberry patches north of Atlanta so Sean and I planned a day with several of his other friends who have kids and we borrowed our little “niece” Val from my best friend, Cherish. Val loves strawberries like me, so it was the perfect outing for us. <3
After filling our gallon-buckets with fruity delights, we got some photos and had lunch. Val loved it almost as much as I did. Always thankful for time with this sweet child and to see her joy and happiness at such a simple life pleasure.
We took home a little over a gallon of strawberries and decided to do a couple different things with them. I like to use berries in baking, so we washed, hulled and sliced almost 2 lbs, froze them and then stored them for longer-term by vacuum sealing them once frozen. I can use them in cakes, pies, compotes, kombucha, etc. over the next several months.
I then decided freezer jam would be the best use for the rest of the berries – quick and easy to process, storage for at least a year and preservation of fresh flavors.
I had some rhubarb pulp – about 1.5 cups – leftover from a rhubarb syrup I’d made earlier in the week and saved. Of course, adding it to about another 1.5 cups of crushed strawberries was the reason why I’d saved it! 😉
But now on to the true recipe for regular ole strawberry freezer jam. A few notes before I lay out the recipe:
- Holy sugar in most recipes! 2 cups of berries and 4 cups of sugar??? NOT in my house. NO WAY. We reduced that WAY down and the end result was fabulous.
- Pectin – I decided to go with it because strawberries have lower pectin than other fruits like apples. The amount we ended up with yielded a firm and spreadable jam – however, we probably could have reduced the pectin by 1-2 Tbsp and gotten a slightly looser product – which we sometimes prefer. If you prefer that, definitely reduce the pectin a bit.
Scroll down for the recipe!
Strawberry jam perfection!
- 8 cups of ripe, fresh strawberries
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 Tbsp Ball Low-Sugar Pectin (not instant)
- 6 8-ounce glass jars
- Pulse strawberries in food processor, working in batches, until desired consistency. I wanted small bits and chunks but you can make it smooth if you like.
- Pour berries into a large pot, add 2 cups sugar and bring to a boil on the stove. Cook for a few minutes, then add the pectin and stir it in. Cook all together for a few more minutes then remove from heat.
- Wash and dry the 6 pint jars and once the jam has cooled a bit - give it at least 30 minutes - ladle into jars. Let cool completely before sealing and moving to freezer.
- Jam can be stored in freezer for up to one year and in the fridge for about a month.