If you’ve never discovered a forgotten batch of late summer jam on a cold winter day, you’re missing out! I usually find one tucked away in my freezer around late November, brimming with liquid sunshine and memories of lazy berry-picking on a summer day.
Farmers markets will be overflowing with sweet berry goodness before you know it, so I thought I’d share my favorite recipe for strawberry freezer jam. Unlike this chia based strawberry jam which is best consumed within a week or so, this jam can last for a year in the freezer. We’ll get to the recipe soon, but first we must ask the all important question . . .
Should I use pectin?
If you like thick jam it’s the way to go. The thing is, most pectin-thickened jams get their gelling power using gobs and gobs of sugar – not awesome for those of us who like a more naturally-sweetened preserve. Fortunately, Pomona’s Pectin uses calcium rather than sugar to activate it’s gelling properties, so you can sweeten to taste and still end up with a delightful jelly-like texture. The pectin comes from citrus peels – my preferred source.
If you prefer the simplicity of using fewer ingredients, you can skip Pomona’s and thicken your jam just by cooking it a bit longer – I’ve included instructions for doing just that below. All fruits contain pectin so that will help it gel quite well. If you have a few green-tipped strawberries on hand be sure to add them in, since they contain more pectin than ripe strawberries. This jam won’t thicken quite like a jam that contains added pectin, but it’s got a lovely consistency that is oh-so-spreadable. Don’t ask me to pick a favorite – I love both methods!
How To Make Strawberry Freezer Jam Without Pectin
Ingredients
- 4 cups strawberries (mashed. Takes 8 cups of whole strawberries - fresh or previously frozen will both work)
- ½ - ¾ cup raw honey
Instructions
- Trim the tops of the strawberries and then mash them. A potato masher works well for this step. I prefer to use a flat-bottomed pan rather than a bowl, so I mash them in the pan that I'm going to put on the stove.
- Measure four cups of mashed strawberries into a heavy-bottomed pan or frying pan. Since I mash mine in the pan, this means I measure them into a bowl to make sure I have the right amount, then pour the mashed berries back in the pan
- Bring strawberries to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add honey and stir to combine.
- Simmer mixture for 15-30 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
- When your mixture has been simmering for about 15 minutes, begin stirring more frequently. What you're looking for is "lag time" when you draw your wooden spoon/spatula through the bottom of the pan. Before it's ready the space created by your spoon will fill quickly. As it thickens it will fill more slowly. Your jam is ready when it take a couple of seconds to refill after you draw your spoon through. Don't worry, it will thicken more as it cools.
- Remove jam from heat and allow to cool a bit before transferring jam to jars. (Extremely hot jam poured into a room temperature jar may cause it to crack)
- Store in the fridge for up to two weeks or the freezer for up to six months.
Nutrition
How To Make Strawberry Jam With Pectin
Ingredients
- 4 cups strawberries , mashed. This is usually about 8 cups of whole strawberries – fresh or previously frozen will both work
- 1/2-3/4 cup raw honey
- 3 teaspoons calcium water , made from a box of Pomona's Pectin
- 3 teaspoons pectin , included in the box of Pomona’s Pectin mentioned above
Instructions
- Add 1/2 teaspoon calcium powder to 1/2 cup calcium water and stir until dissolved. Congratulations, you just made calcium water! Though it sounds difficult, it really is that simple.
- Trim the tops of the strawberries and then mash them. A potato masher works well for this step. I prefer to use a flat-bottomed pan rather than a bowl, so I mash them in the pan that I’m going to put on the stove.
- Measure four cups of mashed strawberries into a heavy-bottomed pan or frying pan. Since I mash mine in the pan, this means I measure them into a bowl to make sure I have the right amount, then pour the mashed berries back in the pan.
- Add 3 teaspoons calcium water to the strawberry mash
- In a separate container, add 2 teaspoons of Pomona’s Pectin to the honey and stir until thoroughly blended.
- Bring strawberry mash to a boil and add honey/pectin mixture. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes as you bring the mixture back to a boil.
- When the mixture comes back to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until the jam gels. How will I know when the jam gels, you ask? It’s actually pretty easy.
- Grab a large spoon and dip it into your mixture. Before the gel point it will easily run off the spoon. ” Lift it about 1 1/2 feet above the pot and pour the liquid jelly out all at once. What you’re looking for is the very last bit of jelly to come off the spoon. During the early stage of cooking, the last bit will pour off in a single drop.” (source)“When the jelly is almost done, the last bit of liquid jelly will come off the spoon in two drops rather than one.” (see photo) When the jelly is ready, the last drops pouring off the spoon will run together and “sheet” off the spoon.
- Remove jam from heat and allow to cool a bit before transferring jam to jars. (Extremely hot jam poured into a room temperature jar may cause it to crack)Store in the fridge for up to two weeks or the freezer for up to six months.
Looking For More Jam Recipes?
I wish I could do this but strawberries are gone almost the day we get them. Between my husband and my kids (and me! Hehe) we can’t keep them around. They are too yummy not to eat right away!
How did you know my mother brought me a bucket of fresh-picked strawberries yesterday? I’ve been looking for an easy jam recipe that uses ingredients I won’t have to go out and buy. Thanks!
A BUCKET? Oh my! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this; I know my daughter will love it. Now I can bulk up on strawberries at the Franklin Farmers’ Market Strawberry Fest and have something else to do with them beside freezing them for smoothies.
Maybe we’ll see you there!
Would blueberries work with this recipe?
I would think so, but I haven’t tried it. I use a slightly different recipe for blackberries because of their tartness, so it may be something you need to play with a bit to get it the way you want.
What’s the blackberry recipe?!!! I just picked a half a bucket today!!
Lovely!
Do these same recipes work equally as well with other berries like raspberries, too? Thanks, Heather 🙂
It will, but you may find that you need to adjust the amount of honey used depending on the sweetness/tartness of the berry.
We planted strawberries this year. Here’s hoping there are enough to make jam! =)
Have you ever tried plum jam? My parents have a plum tree and my aunt used some of the plums to make jam (and showed me). It’s been years since I made it, but It’s delicious!
I have not, but given how much my kids celebrate when I make jam I see more recipes like this in my future 🙂
Looks delicious!
I am actually making this right now! Smells great! I do have one question though…I’ve read that ayurvedic practitioners have long believed that if you heat raw honey it actually becomes toxic, have you read anything about this is your research or do you know if this is true? I usually don’t cook with honey because of this. Thank you for all your hard work and amazing website!
just wanted to ask the same question!
can I use stevia instead of honey?
Maria, I think you probably could, but I can’t say for sure.
Hi Billie, thanks for your question! I have heard that before, but personally I am unconvinced. It is my understanding that HMF – the compound that is created by heating – is found in higher quantities in molasses, which is not considered toxic by most.
Though I prefer to consume honey in it’s raw form so that the beneficial enzymes are present, I personally am not too worried about the occasional treat.
Good to know, thanks!
sounds interesting but i prefer the uncooked freezer jam made with pectin. tastes much fresher and is much righter than cooked jam.
typo! much brighter…not righter!
@Betty – How do you make this uncooked freezer jam?
We already made plans to make this for when strawberries are in season next month.
I tried Pomona’s last summer. Problem was it only lasted for 1-2 weeks once transferring from freezer to the fridge & then became moldy!! My pectin jam lasts months in the fridge. Going back to pectin this summer.
W bar M Sheep and Wool
Jade Williams for your yogurt!!
I always froze homemade jam….way easier, and it comes out the perfect consistency.
I also make a quick one using honey, lemon and chai seeds as a thickener. Not sure how long it would last, make it in small batches and goes fast!
I’m getting organic strawberries this weekend!
Momstrawberry Stawberry
have`nt even put them in the ground yet
love, love, love freezer jam !!
I was JUST looking for a jam recipe. Thank you!
This isn’t s easy to do.
Babs Lira check this out!
Can’t get recipe!
Love this pectin tip!
Genetically modified crops as a source of lecithin[edit]
As described above, lecithin is highly processed. Therefore, genetically modified (GM) protein or DNA from the original GM crop from which it is derived often is undetectable – in other words, it is not substantially different from lecithin derived from non-GM crops.[4] Nonetheless, consumer concerns about genetically modified food have extended to highly purified derivatives from GM food, such as lecithin.[5] This concern led to policy and regulatory changes in Europe in 2000, when Regulation (EC) 50/2000 was passed[6] which required labelling of food containing additives derived from GMOs, including lecithin. Because it is nearly impossible to detect the origin of derivatives such as lecithin, the European regulations require those who wish to sell lecithin in Europe to use a meticulous system of identity preservation (I
I love freezer jam but never made it without the pectin.
YAy!
We made a vanilla cardamom strawberry jam last year that I can still taste!!!
Carmen Ruiz
Yummm
My Gram used to make this. So good!
I use pectin. It keeps so well and I never heat freezer jam. Why would you do that? Just wondering?
this is a northwest staple!
Please use Organic Strawberries. Avoid glysophates.
Maggie Schiele
reminds me of summer allright, deliciousness!!!
Love, love, love the stuff!
My strawberreis are almost ready!! Can’t wait.
Kathryn Webb Laudin I just found this resource and have seen some yummy recipes!
Yum Dawn LaMaster! I’m trying this!
Looks great!!! Becca Ostag let me know if you make it!
I totally make jam but use organic grass fed gelatin. I use only a spoonful and I get the jam consistency with the added benefit of gelatin. I even use frozen berries in winter to make our own sooooo easy!!!
I have looked everywhere to figure out how much gelatin to use vs. pectin. Do you have a conversion or recipe and do you cook your freezer jam?
I love the idea of using gelatin! I just googled and found a few recipes (no use reinventing the wheel…) and came across this one: http://justtakeabite.com/2014/07/16/pectin-free-easy-strawberry-freezer-jam/ I think I’m going to give it a try.
Thank you for the recipe!
gotta love nature’s pectin 😀
I used the recipe with no pectin and my jam is not thickening!! Any tips/pointers 🙁 This is my first time making jam and I am so frustrated/disappointed 🙁 Please help!!
Hi Jenn, you probably just need to let it cook longer. Also, keep in mind that it will thicken significantly as it cools. What you’re looking for is “lag time” when you draw your spoon through the pan.
I made this and it was gone in a week, I do have 5 little ones though :)! I recently started to get the peaches off of our peach tree and have literally buckets of them this year (must have been a GOOD year for peaches) is there a way I can do this or something similar with the peaches? I didn’t use the pectin in mine just the strawberries and honey. I tried to find a peach one but all the recipes I found are adding sugar, a LOT of sugar. Any suggestions or ideas would be great, I already made 5 pie starters and froze bags of them, looking for a jam I can use for when school starts. Thanks!
Hi Heather!
I was wondering if you would have input on the following:
I am interested in feeding some of the name to my little one that is still just under a year. But it occurred to me that I will be using raw honey to make the jam…though of course it will be cooking for a while. Do you think there is still a concern with the little one consuming it with raw honey being an ingredient?
Sorry! Jam! Not *name! Not sure how that happened!
Hi Mary, botulism spores, which are the reason honey is not recommended for children under one, are not killed by heat. For that reason this recipe is not recommended, sorry! 🙁
Ok, great. That is what I was afraid of, but I could not remember. Darn! At least it lasts for 6 months! By then maybe we will have a jar left to share 🙂 Thanks again!
I made it without pectin in a 2:1 ratio of fruit to sugar, added one lime and a little guava syrup (Toranis)…nothing else and it was delicious
Do I actually have to can this to put in freezer or can I just put it into a jar, screw on the lid and put it straight into the freezer?
There is no need to can it – you can just put it in a jar and freeze. 🙂
This is my first go at freezer jam, and I’m trying to avoid the boatloads of sugar. In your directions, is the calcium powder you refer to just the Pomona’s Pectin? Thanks!
Yes, it’s one of the two components included in Pomona’s 🙂
I second the request for a peach or nectarine freezer jam–my husband loves the strawberry freezer jam so much that I’m not sure we can go back to regular jam, but strawberries are so expensive. I found the gorgeous nectarine jam, but it has more sugar than nectarines. Any ideas?
http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2014/07/how-to-make-freezer-jam/
“Add ½ teaspoon calcium powder to ½ cup calcium water and stir until dissolved. Congratulations, you just made calcium water! Though it sounds difficult, it really is that simple.”
Please forgive my density, but I’m still having trouble with that instruction. Do I have to have calcium water to make more calcium water? You’re absolutely right, it does sound difficult. No one else is asking about it, so maybe it’s just me. Help an old lady out?
Never mind, I went to the Pomona Pectin website. Their FAQ section is amazing. And yes, I discovered that one does NOT have to have calcium water to make more calcium water! 🙂
I was under the impression that calcium supplements were not good. Does that include the Pomona’s?
I personally wouldn’t supplement with calcium, but I don’t worry about consuming calcium from food sources 🙂