Freezer Jam

What do you do when strawberries are 44 cents a pound at Basha's? You make jam! At least if you're me, you do.

Yep, that's right. I found strawberries for 88 cents for a 2 lb. clamshell and bought up a whole bunch. I already had the sugar and the containers.

If you have never made jam and it sound intimidating, it is not! It is so easy, especially if you make freezer jam. I actually prefer freezer jam; it has a yummy taste. And you don't have to seal jars for it to stay fresh. In fact, I use glad plastic containers because they stack well and don't take up a lot of room. You can also make jam from a variety of fruits and even jelly from apple juice! Just follow the instructions inside the Sure-Jell box.
Here are the quick instructions:

1. Wash and hull all of the strawberries, then blend them up in a food processor until there are only small chunks.

2. Measure the right amount of berries and sugar and combine them both in a bowl. Let that sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Heat a package of Sure-Jell and 3/4 cup of water on the stove to a boil; boil rapidly for 1 minute while stirring.
4. Add the Sure-Jell to the strawberries and stir for 3 minutes. Pour into containers and cover them.
5. Let it sit on the counter for 24 hours before placing them in the freezer. Make sure you put one in your fridge too!

Of course after I made all of this jam, I found out a way to use less sugar and buy a cheaper pectin. If you live in Arizona, you can buy a product called Ultra Jell at Shar's Kitchen/Bosch Center in Gilbert. Apparently, it is only $12 for a small bucket and so it is cheaper than buying boxes of Sure-Jell. You can also use less sugar with the Ultra Jell and still make freezer jam (non-cooked jam).