We be Jammin’

Last time I was home, my mom taught me how to make freezer jam (in the microwave no less). 

She was all done with the raspberry and apricot batches by the time I decided to document the process, but she still had the plum left to go.

And so I present to you, my mom’s simple (read: fool proof) method for making freezer jam. 

*Freezer jam doesn’t require sterilization, so the jars must be stored in the freezer or consumed immediately after being made. 

Ingredients

• fruit (raspberries, plums, apricots, peaches, anything)
• pectin (my mom uses the powder kind)
• sugar (to make jam vegan, this ingredient requires tweaking)
• jars (make sure they are the kind that can go in the freezer)

1.  Wash and hull the fruit of your choosing.  My mom aims to get ~ 2 cups worth of fruit.  Make sure the fruit isn’t over or under ripe because the jam will only be as good as the fruit at the time of jarring. 

2.  Put the fruit in a large container and mash it up. 

3.  Transfer to a glass (or any microwave-safe) pot.  My mom uses her deep casserole dish because it bubbles up pretty high once it’s cooking. 

4.  Add 1 tbsp pectin per cup of fruit.  Since we had slightly more than 2 cups of plums, we used 2 1/4 tbsp of pectin.

5.  Stir it all up so the pectin and fruit are completely mixed and cook in the microwave for 4 minutes.  It should bubble like crazy (you want the full rolling boil to kill off anything and everything). 

6.  Once out of the microwave, let it cool a bit.

7.  Then add sugar.  The amount of sugar you add depends on the fruit (and how sweet you want your jam).  My mom typically adds 1 1/3 cups of sugar, but plum jam is better tart so this time she only added 1 1/4 cups. 

8.  Stir the sugar into the fruit until it’s adequately mixed.

9.  Bring the jam to a full rolling boil (again), this time for 8-9 minutes in the microwave, stopping half way through to stir.  After it’s done in the microwave, stir it a bit more (you may also have to skim off the top layer after this step depending on the fruit). 

 

10.  Don’t forget to set aside a bit to taste test! 

 

11.  Spoon the jam into jars.  Be sure to leave some room at the top for it to expand when it freezes.

12.  Seal the tops and let the jars cool (~30 minutes).

13.   Once the jars reach room temp (or is no longer hot to the touch) place them in the freezer until they are ready to be used.

Even though this recipe calls for regular sugar, I was still game to participate in it’s consumption.  PB & J sammies are probably the best way to use home-made jam, but another one of my faves is in a parfait.

First the greek yogurt layer…then the dried fruit & oat muesli…

…and then the jam.

Stir and devour.  FYI, this muesli was a WF bulk bin purchase, and had dried dates, raisins, sunflower seeds, rolled oats, wheat and rye flakes, and almonds (which I mostly picked out).  And eating out of a coffee mug made it a ton more fun, too.  🙂

Mom’s notes:

• Freezer jam is a great alternative to traditional jam-making which requires the jars to be sterilized and poses a greater risk for contamination.  Just wash the jars well before filling them and freeze them after.
• Store the jars in the freezer until you open them.  Once you open them, they should be stored in the fridge and used within 3-4 weeks. 
• If you use smaller jars, it’s easier to use them up before they go bad after being opened, thus preventing the jam from going to waste.
• Doubling the recipe isn’t recommended, otherwise it won’t set correctly. 
• For apricot, peach, and nectarine jams, you may want to add in 1 tbsp lemon juice to prevent the fruit from browning and add a hint of tartness.

Elise’s notes:

• If you are vegan, or just looking for a recipe without sugar, stevia or agave nectar can be used in place of sugar, but not without major modifications to the rest of the recipe.
• In addition to altering the amount of sweetener (you will need way less since stevia is far sweeter than sugar), you also need a no-sugar pectin.