Strawberry Jam!

While in DC this Sunday, I gave a friend a lift home after our weekly soccer game. We stopped in the Harris Teeter for some grocery shopping. He found a sale on four pints of strawberries, and gave me two of them since he would never use them all. Yes, I did tell him he could freeze them. He doesn't cook though. And I am not one to turn down free food from friends.

I had to do something with these strawberries, and fast. I tend to procrastinate. Hell, while cleaning out the fridge today I just threw away a stroopwafel I brought home with me from Amsterdam - three years ago. You can't keep strawberries that long in the fridge.

I thought about cakes, crisps and cobblers, but I eventually settled on a strawberry freezer jam. I followed this recipe from the Gwen's Nest blog. It was surprisingly easy. All I needed were a packet of freezer fruit pectin, 3/4 cup sugar and two pints/pounds of strawberries. You also need about three pint size jars, or five to six half-pint (ie., cup) jars. They can be glass ones, though Bell does make special plastic freezer jars.

First, mix the sugar and fruit pectin (I should have used only half the packet since I halved Gwen's recipe, but I eventually dumped in the whole thing). Then moosh up the strawberries in a bowl, add the sugar-pectin mixture and stir for three minutes. Put into cleaned jars and close, and let sit for half an hour before freezing. And there you go! No need to even cook it.

I have never made a fruit jam. Okay there was that one tomato jam. All I have to do is bust out a jar if I want some fresh strawberry jam.