10. It's easy. No actual canning involved: helloooo freezer.
9. It's not cooked. And because it's not cooked, it has the freshest fruit taste ever.
8. It's beautiful. Seriously. Look at that color.
7. It's tasty: it does the berry justice.
6. It's the kick-off to the preserving season.
5. It's the most-liked by friends.
4. We can pick in the morning and jam in the afternoon.
3. Leftover strawberries means strawberry cobbler.
2. Strawberry freezer jam is the perfect jam for a winter-time sandwich cookie or thumbprint cookie.
1. Because I love strawberries.
A few things....
We picked both Hood and Shuksan strawberries. You can see them side by side here:
We use the Shuksan for freezer jam, and the Hood for fresh eating, baking and freezing whole.
Containers for freezer jam are easily found at most local large markets and can be used and re-used. I like these because they stack easily.
Be ready before you pick; strawberries can rapidly ripen and spoil in warm weather once picked, and you want to be preserving them when they're at their best. Plan your containers, pectin and sugar needs ahead of time. We follow the directions for making the freezer jam as found in the pectin box: we use the Sure Gel lower sugar pectin, found in the pink box.
I've been thinking I'm going to try my hand at some different flavor combinations (herb + fruit infusions) this year, but when it comes to strawberry freezer jam, I'm keeping it straight forward and simple. There's nothing better than capturing the flavor of Oregon strawberries at their best in the season. They hold the promise of summer to come.
6 comments:
i swear berries are just so much better in the pnw! i've never tried freezer jam but will this year...i'm getting a bunch of blackberries, so we'll see what happens..;)
thanks for the inspiration once again!
There's just something about that fresh, bright taste. And the junk in the jars? No thanks. It doesn't even compare.
Are you sure about that? Cause we've got a ton of lavender that could seriously use some strawberries to jam with...
where did you get those awesome lids? I want some!
Yum! Makes me want pie.
HEY - - - WE JUST accidentally found a NEW berry that equals the Shuksans... JD was OUT of Shuksans when I went down but had something called "firecracker"...I got a half flat...they were TART and firm...perfect for a jam. I liked it a lot. I'll have to bring you a jar sometime. I too am STILL in love with this freezer jam business....we're going to try some raspberry freezer stuff this year and see. Thanks for the make-me-hungry post.
Post a Comment