Monday, May 2, 2011

Jessica's freezer jam

Hi, it's Heather!  Jessica is in Hawaii (lucky!!) so I'm posting on her behalf.  She emailed me this great post for freezer jam!

You may not know this but I LOVE to cook. I actually taught a cooking class in college and loved every minute of it. We haven't put many recipes or cooking posts on this blog but I would like to share a few tips here and there for you because I know we all want to be domestic goddesses.

Summer time is strawberry time and the perfect time of the year to make strawberry jam. Now don't get scared. I am talking about freezer jam. Freezer jam is so easy to make. No canning, hot pots, or sterilizing jars needed. All you need is fresh strawberries, pectin (found in the baking section of your grocery store), and sugar. Pretty basic right?

The directions are in the pectin box but I will give you a crash course just to encourage you to try it out in case you are still scared.

For one box of pectin and about 5 cups you need 2 pts of fresh strawberries and 4 cups of sugar. Start by crushing your strawberries in a blender or food processor leaving some small chunks (because we all know that is the good part). You will end up with 2 cups of crushed strawberries, make sure it is the exact amount. Mix in the sugar with the fruit and let stand for 10 min.

While you are waiting mix 1 box of pectin with 3/4 cup water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 min. Once the 10 min of standing fruit/sugar is done add the pectin mix and stir until no longer grainy (about 3 min). Then pour it into prepared containers. I usually use those small "I can't believe it's not butter containers" because they have lids and I have a lot in stock but for the picture I bought some clear plastic jars at walmart (just make sure noFrt to use glass). Let stand for 24 hours at room temperature and then stick in your freezer for up to 1 year.

Why should you make your own freezer jam? Because it tastes so much better than store bought jam. And it is a good food storage item. So go down to your local farmers market and pick up a flat of strawberries today.

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