Strawberry Freezer Jam

The hubs and I took baby bear strawberry picking yesterday! We figured we'd pick a bucket full or so to freeze for the off season. Well, we picked a bucket or so.. More like two heaping buckets weighing in at 12 pounds! What in the heck do you do with 12 lbs of strawberries?!?! I cut up 25 cups of them and used our foodsaver to seal them up well for freezing. I wanted to make some jam, but I've never made it before. I found this super easy recipe and I now have 6 pints of jam to add to the freezer strawberry collection! The recipe warns several times to "follow exactly," so I did. I can't say how it tastes, since it's still in the cooling process, but it looks delicious! I will say that it's a bright pink color that you can't get from processed jams you buy at the grocery store. Happy jamming!

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Ingredients:
- 2 cups of crushed, fresh strawberries
- 4 cups of sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 box of pectin (I used Sure-Jell)
- 5 1-cup containers with lids


Yield: 5 cups of Jam


1. Wash, core and cut up the strawberries. Place them into a bowl and crush them with a potato masher, one cup at a time. 
2. Stir the sugar into the strawberries and allow it to sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, with boiling water, wash the containers and lids, then dry thoroughly.
3. In a saucepan over high heat, mix the water and pectin. Bring to a boil while stirring continuously, then boil for one minute, stirring continuously. 
4. Stir the pectin/water into the strawberries and stir continuously for 3 minutes, or until the sugar is mostly dissolved. 
5. Allow jam to stand for 3 minutes, then pour into containers. Leave 1/2 inch between the top of the jam and the top of the container to allow for expansion in the freezer. Wipe off the edges of the containers, then put the lids on.
6. Allow the jam to cool/set for 24 hours at room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 year.