Freezer Jam

Shortly before the move, I took some time to go pick a ton of strawberries at local berry farm.  It was a lot of fun and a lovely way to spend an hour outdoors.  However, I ended up with an enormous load of berries.  Thankfully, my Foodsaver (gift from Mom) came in handy because I was able to vacuum pack about 15 pounds of berries.  Since then, I have opened the berries for snacking, blended into smoothies, and used as a topping for my morning waffles.  The berries still taste fantastic and the juice can be used in lieu of syrup or butter!

Nearly every Saturday, Ron and I had into town towards the Mill City Farmer's Market where I pick up the most fantastic jam from a local organic farmer.  I am hooked on the stuff.  It's like crack.  But, our new freezer doesn't have a lot of room, so I decided it was time to get rid of some of my berries, and try my hand at making my own jam.  I decided to mix raspberries and strawberries together, so I didn't make as much of a dent as I would have liked.  But, the end result was fantastic.  Now I have 5 jars of delicious jam and I'm thinking this could turn into a potential gift for family and friends.

Hmm, it's blueberry picking season right now.  I'm already thinking of canning options!

Freezer Jam
from Pectin package
Ingredients

• 4 cups crushed berries (measured after they are crushed)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 pkg pectin
• 5 Bell 8 oz Freezer jars or Jelly jars

Instructions

1. Stir sugar and pectin in a bowl.
2. Add crushed fruit.
3. Stir vigorously for 3 minutes.
4. Ladle jam into clean jars and let stand for 30 minutes.

You can easily follow the instructions on the back of a pectin package.