Freezer can get you out of jam preserving fruit

A freezer makes time stand still. And for anyone bent on capturing the local harvest, that’s golden.

Say the berry harvest is coming on fast and furious and you’re zooming off to a five-day conference in Poughkeepsie. If you bank a batch of fruit in your freezer now, you can get back to it when your life settles down. November perhaps?

Your freezer can also stand in for your pantry. You can store traditional jams in it, and thereby eliminate the boiling water canning portion of jam making.

Of course, your refrigerator can be used in this manner too, if you’re willing to turn over valuable fridge space to jam’s long-term storage (12 to 18 months and longer without suffering in quality).

Or, you can make freezer jams. They’re all the rage, and for very good reasons. They’re quicker to make and use less sugar than traditional preserves. Plus, they have an appealing “fresh fruit” flavor that some families have come to prefer over the more classic style of jams.

Freezer jams: Obviously, any jam you stick in the freezer can be called a freezer jam. But it’s not the same as “Quick and Easy Freezer Jam,” which is the phrase coined by savvy commercial pectin manufacturers who figured out there will always be a demand for simple and quick homemade jams.

And so, along with every box of powdered or liquid commercial pectin, you’ll find straightforward directions for making freezer jams. These recipes require very little or no cooking and use much less sugar. Of course, less sugar means they won’t last as long in your refrigerator before molding since sugar is a great preservative when used in large quantities.

But freezer jams can be stored in the freezer for up to one year without suffering in quality. To use them, simply move a batch into the refrigerator to gently thaw over night. Because of the lower sugar content than traditional jams, use the thawed jam within three weeks.

When selecting storage containers for your freezer jams, think in terms of how much jam your family will consume in that 3 week period. To prepare the containers and lids for the freezer, simply wash with hot soapy water and rinse, or run them through the dishwasher; no need to sterilize.

There are many different pectins on the market these days, but the two main categories are powdered and liquid.

Is one pectin product better than another for making freezer jams?

It gets down to what kind of firmness you like in your jams and jellies. Liquid pectins tend to produce a slightly softer jam than powdered pectins.

Some of the more common commercial pectins available in the Pacific Northwest are Certo Liquid Fruit Pectin, Ball Fruit Jell Liquid Pectin, Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin, Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin (for less or no sugar needed recipes; powdered), MCP Premium Fruit Pectin (powdered), and Ball Fruit Jell Pectin (powdered), and Ball Fruit Jell No Sugar Needed Pectin (powdered).

Plus, designed specifically for freezer jam, there’s Ball Fruit Jell Freezer Jam Pectin for making no-cook freezer jams.

My personal choice for freezer jams is Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin because I like the firmer consistency of the finished freezer jam (many freezer jams turn out too soft).

But you might want to do some experimenting of your own. Just keep in mind that procedures and ingredients do vary slightly depending on the pectin product you choose, so follow any given recipe exactly as written.

MCP Premium Fruit Pectin, for example, produces a perfectly lovely freezer jam. But it calls for corn syrup, which some people don’t have on hand.

Freezing fruit now for jam-making later (this really works and is a great way to put off making jam for months):

For traditional jam recipes (without added pectin) in which you combine and cook sugar and fruit (and lemon juice if it’s called for), just go ahead and combine the sugar with the fruit (and lemon juice if needed), using the exact proportions called for in the recipe.

Store the uncooked mixture in air-tight freezer containers or resealable plastic freezer bags and toss them in the freezer. Down the road, when you’re ready to make the jam, simply thaw the premeasured fruit and sugar mixture and proceed with the cooking and processing steps.

For recipes using liquid pectin (it comes packed in pouches), you can also combine the measured amount of sugar and fruit, then store the uncooked mixture in air-tight freezer containers or resealable plastic freezer bags in your freezer.

Down the road, when you’re ready to cook the jam, simply thaw the fruit and sugar mixture and proceed with the cooking and processing steps as indicated in your recipe.

For recipes using powdered pectin, you cannot combine the sugar with the fruit before freezing. Just freeze the prepared and measured fruit. Remember, since freezing alters the volume of fruit (it expands when frozen, and collapses when thawed), be sure and pre-measure each batch and indicate the amount on the package.

Months from now, when you’re ready to make your jam, simply thaw the fruit and proceed with your recipe, adding the correct amount of sugar and powdered pectin as indicated.

This recipe came from Portland-area cook, Janice Sticka, several years ago. It has become one of my favorite ways to treat this wonderful summer specialty.

Janice’s apricot freezer jam

3cups pitted ripe apricots

2cups granulated sugar, divided

If you plan to store the apricot jam in jars at room temperature: If you plan to store the jam in the refrigerator or freezer: Wash jars or plastic freezer-proof containers; dry thoroughly and set aside.

Mix apricots and 1 cup of sugar in a 3 quart saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down), stirring constantly and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add the remaining 1 cup sugar and bring back to a boil; boil hard 3 more minutes.

Place in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, cool thoroughly, then cover with plastic wrap or wax paper. Let sit at room temperature overnight.

The next day, for storage in refrigerator or freezer: place in plastic freezer containers or glass jars, cover with tight fitting lids and freeze.

For long-term storage at room temperature: After the jam has sat overnight at room temperature, scrape it back into a heavy-bottomed pot and reheat. Wash 4 half-pint jars. Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs. Then ladle the hot jam into 1 hot jar at a time, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars. Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes at 1,001 to 6,000 feet; 20 minutes above 6,000 feet).

Strawberry freezer jam

2pints fresh and completely ripe strawberries

4cups sugar

1(1.75 ounce) box Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin

3/4cup water

Wash and rinse plastic containers with tight fitting lids. Use 1 to 2 cup size containers.

Prepare the berries by washing and rinsing. Remove stems. Chop and crush (but don’t puree) enough berries to measure 2 cups of crushed berries.

Place the 2 cups of crushed berries in a large bowl.

Stir the sugar into the crushed berries and mix well; let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small pan, combine the pectin with the water, stirring well (the pectin may be lumpy at first). Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Stir the hot pectin mixture into the berry/sugar mixture. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy (this takes about 3 minutes). A few sugar crystals may still be visible.

Ladle the jam into the prepared containers, leaving 1/2-inch space at the top to allow for expansion during freezing; cover with the lids.

Let the jam stand at room temperature for 24 hours until set.

Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 1 year. Thaw as needed in the refrigerator.

Makes about 5 cups of jam.

Blueberry freezer jam

21/2pints fresh, ripe blueberries

51/4cups sugar

1(1.75 ounce) box Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin

3/4cup water

Wash and rinse plastic containers with tight fitting lids. Use 1 to 2 cup size containers.

Prepare the berries by washing and rinsing. Remove stems. Chop and crush (but don’t puree) enough berries to measure 3 cups of crushed berries.

Place the 3 cups of crushed berries in a large bowl.