Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Sweet Strawberries



We have made it an annual summer tradition to go strawberry picking.  We have found the perfect patch about an hour north of us.  It makes for an easy trip and we get some fantastic pickings-perfect for making freezer jam.  The kids love peanut butter and jelly so I try to make a year supply.  We just finished our last jar from a year ago so I knew it was time to get picking. The older kids were busy in camps so I took the little boys to help me.  It was the perfect day-sun was shinning but it wasn't too hot.  We packed our rain boots because the fields have been muddy with all the rain that we've been having.  We picked for an hour and got 3 big boxes packed to the brim.





The Best & Super Easy Freezer Jam

Here is what you’ll need: 

2 pints of strawberries

4  cups sugar
1 box Sure Jell fruit pectin
3/4 cup water
half pint sized mason jars
*I do boil my jars and lids to make sure they are sterile before using them.  
I rinse the berries well and cut off the tops and place them in a large bowl.
Next I mash using a potato masher until completely mashed and the consistency is thick and a bit chunky.

Add 4 cups of sugar to the crushed strawberries and stir until completely mixed.
Place Sure-Jell into a saucepan with 3/4 cups of water and bring to a boil on high heat until the jell is dissolved in the water.  Add the mixture to the berries and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Use a funnel to pour jam into the jars.  If you don't have a kitchen funnel then carefully spoon the jam into the jars.  Leave about a 1/2 of an inch at the top of each jar.  Screw the lids on tight and let stand on the counter at room temperature for 24 hours.  Place in freezer for up to a year .  I usually have one jar in the fridge for about 3-4 weeks at a time.  I also double or triple this recipe depending how many strawberries we pick.



This recipe makes the best jam for peanut butter and jellies.  It's also so yummy on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream.  Perfect for strawberry sundaes.

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