The Easiest Strawberry Freezer Jam

This Strawberry Freezer Jam recipe is soo easy and sooo good! Using sure gel or ball pectin makes this freezer jam super easy! Add basil for an added kick of something special, but it’s also easy to leave out! Either way you’re going to LOVE this deliciously easy fresh strawberry freezer jam!

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I got in the mood to make a strawberry jam recipe the other night. I had been thinking about making jam and it had been a long day and I felt pretty darn unsuccessful as a parent.

I was frustrated with my strong-willed tot and with myself and I didn’t like feeling that way.

So I started making jam. I found and washed the jars in hot water, then turned them over to dry.

I pulled out strawberries and began to slice them in silence. Just a stream of water from the tap, the blade cutting the berries, and me alone with my thoughts. Finally, alone.

I thought about how much I love strawberries, but they don’t last, not more than a week anyways. Unless they are changed into something else: jam.

Jam is perfect for the not so perfect berries. The bruised ones. The ones that have been knocked around and don’t have much left to offer. They are a little ugly on the outside… and the inside. But there is new hope for those bruised berries in this jam, a chance to be something beautiful.

There are also “past their prime” strawberries. I roll around an overripe berry in my hand, then slice off the top.

I mean that is what we fear the most, right? Having our best, most beautiful days in the past.

We hate the thought. That’s why they tell us 40 is the new 30 and so is 50 and 60. They can’t all be, can they?

What if like the berries we can find a transformation?

A rebirth for the bruised and old ones. Even those of us who only feel old in our souls, like me. I feel old today, the overwhelming process of raising another human has drained me.

I need to be washed and all the bad parts cut out and smooshed around till I don’t resemble myself anymore.

I can’t change myself. I need Someone else to help. Someone who will infuse the process with sweetness and grace and new purpose.

I scrape the edges of my bowl and take a bite of my jam. It’s perfect: sweet, with just a hint of darkness from the basil. It’s almost like this jam has been someplace and has a story to tell.

I take a breath; and blow it out slowly. As I heat, pour, stir, and ladle my jam into jars, I settle. Tomorrow is a fresh day, a rebirth for my soul, a reset.

How to make Strawberry Freezer Jam

1. Prepare and wash half pint (8 oz) jars.
2. Wash strawberries. Cut off tops and slice.
3. Use a potato masher or pastry cutter to smoosh the berries into a lumpy, jam-like consistency.
4. Add sugar (and optional basil). Stir.
5. Mix pectin and water together. Heat to boil
6. Combine berries with pectin mixture.
7. Pour into jars or containers. Add lid. Let stand for 30 minutes- a couple hours. Then place in the refrigerator or freezer for long term storage.

Freezer jam can last up to 12 months in the freezer and 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe

To make this strawberry jam recipe you may need…

• The Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving — this is the holy bible of canning and freezing and preserving! Lots of information and step by step recipes and directions so you can learn to can safely.
• Quilted Half Pint Jam Jars — These 4 oz ball jars are my favorite and just too cute! You can definitely can freezer jam in glass jars! These may also double as our small cups. #wefancy
• Pint Jars — If you prefer to have more jam or go through it quickly making 77 PB&Js a day you miiight need a bigger jar for your jam. 😉

Can you use frozen fruit for strawberry freezer jam?

Yes. Just unthaw and strain off the strawberry juice before measuring them. If I’m too busy to make jam when I have a lot of fresh strawberries I often freeze them knowing I can pull out some frozen strawberries and whip up this Strawberry Freezer Jam recipe in a hot minute!

What if my jam doesn’t set up?

Check to make sure that your pectin is fresh and not expired! Don’t mess with the ratios of sugar to pectin to fruit. If you’d like to make a low sugar jam you need a special sort of pectin made just for that.

I’m also a fan of using runny strawberry jam as an oatmeal pancake topping or ice cream topping. You can certainly enjoy it somewhere, even if it is runny!

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