Don’t make your life difficult.
You can easily enjoy the fresh flavors of summer all year round by making freezer jam. Sure, you can go through the canning process but there is really no need, especially if you are making a small batch. Freezer jam is SO SIMPLE and delicious. If you have room in your freezer then make this RIGHT NOW before all the berries are gone!
Every year I look forward to berry season. Living in the Northwest we are so blessed with an abundance and variety of berries: Hood Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Marionberries, Raspberries, Boysonberries… and the list goes on!
This year I went raspberry picking with my friend, Tina and her daughter, Anya, at Burns U-Pick Farm in Troutdale, OR. I highly recommend this place for berry picking! It was $1.50 per pound versus the $3.00 per basket of berries if you didn’t pick it yourself. I picked almost 7 lbs of berries for a total of $9.75! Out of this I made 12 half pints of jam, froze a quart size bag for smoothies and kept 2 cups of fresh berries to eat with yogurt.
This isn’t some fancy recipe. My intent for this post is for you to know how easy it is to make jam at home and indulge in those yummy Oregon berries! Freezer jam is really easy and quick so don’t be nervous about trying it! The result is so much better than store bought jam and you will enjoy it so much more knowing that you made it!
Here’s what you need:
(For 6 half pints)
5 cups of raspberries (or other berries)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
6 Tbsp of instant pectin (find the baking/canning section of the grocery store)
6- 8 oz jars and lids or plastic freezer containers
Here’s what you do:
Pick or buy FRESH raspberries
Rinse in cold water in a strainer. Make sure that all of the water is drained out so that you don’t have soupy jam, blech.
Measure 5 cups of berries and place in a large bowl.
Mash berries with a potato masher. Set aside.
Mix sugar and pectin in a separate bowl, combine thoroughly.
Combine sugar/pectin mixture and berries. Stir for 3 minutes to ensure it is thoroughly combined and to start to set the pectin.
Using a small measuring cup or scoop (I used ¼ cup),
scoop the jam into CLEAN and DRY mason jars.
Fill the jars to the “bottom freeze fill line” (See here in the photo that the freeze fill line in the line on the jar that is about ¾ inches from the top of the jar. )
This allows room in the jar for the expansion that takes place when the jam freezes.
Once you fill your jars, let them sit for 30 minutes before putting on lids and screwing on tightly.
Now you notice that I used both plastic freezer containers and glass jars. Both are fine for freezer use. I happened to have both on hand so that is what I used. I have never found a significant difference in the quality of either one for preserving food so use whatever your heart desires! The glass jars are nice to have for juice glasses and decorating after you have eaten the jam but the plastic are nice for kids to use without the issue of breaking glass.
Freeze your jam and enjoy the taste of fresh berries all year long! YUM!
*Take note that this recipe is specifically for BERRY jam. Do not attempt to substitute peaches or pears with these instructions.*
