There’s no doubt canning and preserving are mainstream these days, but if you haven’t quite jumped onto the canning bandwagon, there’s still no reason you can’t enjoy some of canning’s greatest treats – including jam.

Right now, strawberries are available in abundance, making this a perfect time to freeze, dry, or can them. And the best way to can them is to make strawberry jam. Or, just freeze the jam.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

2 cups hulled and crushed strawberries
4 cups granulated sugar
¾ cup water
1 box pectin (look for it in the canning section of the supermarket or big box store)

Sterilize some plastic freezer containers by pouring boiling water over them. Dry with a clean dishcloth.

Place the strawberries in a bowl and mix in the sugar. Allow to stand for 10 minutes, stirring once in a while.

In a stainless steel saucepan, mix together the water and pectin. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard and stir for 1 minute. Add the strawberry mixture to the saucepan and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sugar is nearly dissolved.

Pour the strawberry mixture into the prepared containers, leaving ½ inch of empty space between the jam and the top of the container. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to a year.

Strawberry Jam For Canning

5 cups hulled and crushed strawberries
1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
6 tablespoons pectin
7 cups granulated sugar

Sterilize jelly canning jars by boiling in the canner for 10 minutes.

In a stainless steel saucepan, combine the strawberries and lemon juice. Stir in the pectin. Place over high heat and bring to a full boil that can’t be stirred down. Stir constantly. Add the sugar, stirring until dissolved.

Return to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat. Ladle jam into jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Process in a boiling water banner for 10 minutes.

You can tweak either of these jams by adding half a vanilla bean (split in half along its length) to the crushed berries. Remove the vanilla bean before freezing or canning. Or, add the zest of 1 lemon to the strawberries.

Make Strawberry Jam

Check out the video version of this article on YouTube

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=184wVWIOoRY

Recipe by

Linda Fehrman

Linda began writing professionally in 2014. The majority of her work has been published on fitness, health-eating and relationships. Linda is well-versed and passionate about relationships, fitness and health issues.

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