Strawberry Freezer Jam

While I'd love to own a chest freezer and be able to store up all sorts of goodies for the winter months as an apartment dweller I just don't have the kind of space.

One of the few things I *do* set aside space for is strawberry freezer jam. There's nothing like homemade jam on french bread with a little cheese or a top a crunchy english muffin- it brightens up anything- especially mid-winter when you havent' seen the sun for months and need a little reassurance that summer isn't a myth...

Strawberry Freezer Jam

For this recipe I used:

-Quart of fresh Strawberries (yield: a little over 3 cups)

-Sugar (I used 3.5 Tbs or to taste)

-One package Ball Freezer Jam Pectin (to firm things up)

other needs: a saucepan, stirring utensil, tasting spoon & containers to store your jam in.

1. Clean & Hull the Berries

(if you can't make the jam right away but your berries are ripe go ahead & prep them

and then place them in the freezer til you've got the time.)

Note: While we are *technically* making freezer jam here I like the texture that you get if you cook the berries down with the sugar before adding the pectin.

2. Place the Berries in a saucepan and heat on medium. Stir until the berries begin to break down.

*if you're pressed for time you can place most of the berries in a blender & pulse dicing the remaining berries & before placing in saucepan.

3. Add sugar & stir until dissolved. Take a spoon & taste the jam- if you like, add a bit more sugar & taste again. When you've got the right ratio remove from heat.

*most recipes call for what is (in my mind) an ABSURD amount of sugar. If your berries are ripe they should be plenty sweet & too much sugar just dulls the taste of the berries.

4. Add the pectin to the berries & stir in to dissolve and distribute. If you're using a quart of berries you will not need the full packet of freezer jam pectin- I used half for my batch. You can save the remaining pectin in an airtight container for use later.

5. Leave the jam to cool while you set up your containers. You can use pretty much anything- large or small. I've used everything from baby food jars to plastic freezer bags, just make sure they're clean & have a lid. When the jam is room temperature spoon, ladle or pour the jam into your containers. Be sure to leave a little bit of room at the top for expansion as it freezes.

**The jam will keep for a year in the freezer and up to one month in the fridge.

Tasty Note: I had an awesome realization today...you can use a simple syrup infusion in place of the sugar. DON'T BE INTIMIDATED! Simple syrup is just sugar & water boiled down.

You can add all kinds of fun flavors to your jams this way; mint, basil, lemon, lime even thyme...the options are truly limitless. The syrup can be used to sweeten pretty much anything but is best in iced beverages (or jams!)

Simple Syrup:

1/4 c sugar

1/8 c water

1. Place over medium heat & stir to dissolve. *if you're wanting to infuse an herb add it now.

2. Continue stirring to prevent crystallization and heat until syrup has thickened.

3. Remove from heat. *if you have added anything strain or otherwise remove the ingredient from the syrup at this point.

4. Place the syrup in a container with a lid. This can be stored either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.