- 2 cups mashed strawberries, about 1 qt.
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 1 box of strawberry jello
- 1 c. water
it’s that time of year. people are out running, playing in the park, riding their bikes, the dogs are barking and vegetable gardens are growing (and the farmers market is finally open!).
fresh fruit and veg are available everywhere, especially strawberries. they are one of our favs here, my kids can go through a tub of them in a day. the best thing about organic fresh from the farm berries, they are sweet, they are soft and they have never been refrigerated. what does that mean? you have to eat them fast and use them immediately, but that is ok, it is worth it.
during the winter, when i was trying to figure out a way to can, i found this great recipe for freezer jam. canning scares me i wont lie, i am afraid of botulism. i know, sounds silly, but before i take a class in canning and i am sure i wont kill anyone, freezer canning will have to do 
freezer canning is not very hard. i took the original recipe i found, it called for pectin and added strawberry jello (i don’t have pectin and wasn’t planning on making this) and just changed the amount of sugar. put directly into your fridge and let it sit or in the freezer for storage.
the taste was amazing, sweet but not overly sweet and my kids loved mashing everything together and filling up cans.
if you happen to come across fresh berries, and you haven’t eaten them all, try this.
strawberry freezer jam
- in a large shallow bowl, mash your strawberries, i use a potato masher, to that add sugar. mix and set your timer for 20 minutes, let the sugar and strawberries sit, but make sure to mix it up every 5 minutes or so. set aside.
- on the stove top bring the jello package and a cup of water to a boil. stir constantly. boil for one minute.
- mix the jello with the strawberries and sugar and pour into clean dry containers. leave about a 1/2 inch on top. let it cool down and come to room temperature. cover with a tight lid and stick in the fridge or put in your freezer for storage.
you can store freezer jam in the freezer for up to a year and in your fridge for 2-3 weeks.
great jam. we have used it on toast, in yogurt, and have been eating it by the spoonful. this is so less scary then canning
