Making Strawberry Jam: Freezer Friendly

Strawberries are favorite around here and once we start to enjoy all the fresh garden grown produce -it’s all we want! I am always itching to find different ways to enjoy the fresh produce as long as we can without getting tired of it. Being able to create freezer friendly recipes to keep fresh produce for later is a way to enjoy the summer fresh taste of strawberries and other fruit.

My family enjoys making strawberry jam, and way before I had the knowledge to can or the space to preserve in a large quantities, I would make everything freezer friendly. I may have started making strawberry jam freezer friendly as my only means to store, but it’s still a favorite for all types of summer fruit.

My goal with this website is to encourage you to learn a variety of homemaking skills!

Why Make It Freezer Friendly

One reason I still choose freezing over other methods is because I can use less sugar (and other supplies like pectin) and really just enjoy the bright, fresh flavor of the strawberries.

As a large family (6 children as I write) we go through jams and jelly jars rather quickly, so it makes a lot of sense for us to take advantage of the fresh fruits we can find locally and make a freezer friendly jam.

Freezer Jam Explained:

We don’t have the garden space (yet!) for a strawberry bed, but there is a you-pick farm we enjoy going to — we also pick blueberries in the summer and make blueberry jam too. If you don’t have access to a local farm feel free to take advantage of the in- season fruit from the grocery store or your local farmer’s market. The fresher the fruit, the less sugar you will need to bring out the natural flavor.!

Pull off Stems

I don’t just cut off the stem end with a knife, because it actually wastes a lot of the strawberry fruit (unless you have chickens you could feed them to). Using a special tool help with that, save time, and help keep the waste down.

Cooking

4 cups of strawberries, 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of lemon juice — that’s the “recipe” I follow. As it cooks down, I will taste and adjust the sugar to our preference. We don’t like it overly sweet, and that is why I prefer this freezer friendly strawberry jam recipe versus canning jam.

I use a meat masher to help smash the fruit as it cooks. Some of my family prefer smooth jam — if that’s your preference too, let the jam cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then transfer it to a blender and blend it to your liking.

Storing

Since I keep canning jars on hand I will use them – in a variety of sizes. Feel free to use smaller ones, that you can later gift to others, or if you freezer space is limited, large jars. I prefer using these white screw on lids, and a dry erase marker to make note of type of jam on the lid. Note: wash off the dry erase before you put the lid in the dish washer.

Let the jam cool before putting into containers. I will then put my containers (jars) into the fridge for a few hours or overnight before transferring to the freezer, so they don’t crack from the rapid cool down.

Can You Use Frozen Fruit?

Fresh. Frozen. Both!! — Garden picked, Farmer’s Market, or seasonal produce from the grocery store. Note, I’ve found that most frozen fruit tends to need more sugar than any fresh fruit.

Canning using this Freezer Friendly Recipe?

No, this is not a tested safe canning recipe. Always use respectable canning books and resources.
I like this recipe because it uses less sugar than traditional canning, and thankful for having the freezer space to do so.
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Enjoy the season of fresh fruit all winter with this Freezer Friendly Strawberry Jam Recipe.

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