Is there a better way to celebrate Canada Day than with freshly picked strawberries…and of course…some strawberry jam.
It took Mr. Painted Quilt and I about an hour to hull, slice and wash the entire flat of strawberries this morning.
Of course we did the ‘one for me and one for the pot’ snacking as we slaved away and12 jars of jam later, this is all that remained.
No need to sterilize the jars with the freezer jam method…just a good wash and rinse.
I added the sugar and fruit pectin to the berries, stirred all the ingredients together then mashed the mixture to the desired consistency.
We like our jam with chunks of fruit in it so I was careful not to mash it to death.
About an hour and a half later…ta da!
Of course I had to try it out on a freshly toasted sesame seed bagel from the farmer’s market.
Nothing should be allowed to taste this good!
Thanks to my friend Candace at Squash House Quilts, I will never make stove top jam ever again. This is just too easy and it tastes every bit as good…if not better!
And there’s more fruit and less sugar too!
38 comments:
Save those strawberry baskets for some crafting. I purchased a few at a thrift store for a craft project and never could remember what the project was. LOL! Our strawberries do not come in those baskets any more.
Looks delicious!! Happy Canada Day!
I make freezer jam too and NOTHING compares!! Just like spreading fresh fruit on your bread! You should taste blackberry jam! YUM!! I have got to make some strawberry jam THIS WEEK before berry season is over! Thanks for the reminder! Have a wonderful Canada Day!!|P
The pictures of the strawberries are so beautiful... wish our strawberry season was not over already.
YUM! I'd smear a little cream cheese on that bagel too. I have had Candace's freezer jam method bookmarked. Need to get berries...
I was going to suggest cream cheese as well along with the strawberry jam. Since I like to think we live in the raspberry capital of the country I have always used them for my freezer jam. Happy Canada Day!
It's funny to think that our strawberry season is Feb/March. I used to make a lot of strawberry jam when my kids were little and I really enjoyed the process. Oddly enough, I don't care for strawberries or jam much but I loved making it!
YUM!!! Need to give this a try.
My mouth is watering just looking at the jam. Could you list the recipe...I would love to make some.
Happy Canada Day..
Happy Canada Day, I love the little banners of the Maple leaf in your blog post. I am just starting to see red on my raspberry bushes but my neighbor 2 doors from me has already eaten a big bowl from their bushes.
I don't have room in my freezer to keep jam! I use a microwave recipe for jam that I found many years ago. It uses less sugar and no added pectin. The only drawback is that it only makes small batches, but my family likes it much better, as it is more fruity and less sweet. It doesn't require stirring, and once you adjust the time for your microwave and the fruit, you can do something else while it is cooking!
Boy, those sure look tasty! Our strawberries were gone weeks ago. Memorial Day is always the last of them from around here. Now we are slap in the middle of peach season! Guess Candace's method would work for peaches, too!
Wow! What a productive day you had! Your kitchen must smell so lovely...crushed strawberries...nothing better! Enjoy your treat!
yummy. Perhaps I need to make some. Beautiful pictures.
What a great way to start Canada Day!
They look lovely, enjoy the jam for many days to come!
Yum Yum. I love the Summer Canning season, Jams, Jellies, sauces, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and oh so much color. Thanks for sharing.
Kaaren, I have been making the strawberry freezer jam for a number of years as it tastes so much fresher than the cooked/canned. And my favorite way to eat it is on a sesame bagel spread with cream cheese first. YUMMERS! I not had much success with the firmness of this strawberry freezer jam method, always coming out very soft. I have used Ball or Sure Gel pectin-tried both the liquid and the powder. I asked Candace about hers as I had never seen the Mrs Wages. Is that the brand of pectin you use and is the consistency soft or firm? I can't really tell by the picture. Your photos are mouth watering!
Just an added comment to the above----I did a little internet research on why strawberry freezer jam sometimes stays so soft and what I found is that strawberries have very little natural pectin. The method you showed is not exactly how the Sure Gel box describes making it, so the Mrs Wages must be slightly different in process.
Oh, such fond memories of making strawberry freezer jam with my mother. I can just imagine how good it tastes!
Yay! Isn't it wonderful, Kaaren? No more slaving over a hot stove for sure! I'm so glad I won you over with this!
Cheers!
Good for you and your helper. I did the same thing this week, enlisting my mom's help. She is dealing with dementia and there aren't so many things she can accomplish in the kitchen any more. Mashing the berries was the best part for her. And we kept saying that it will be "summer in a jar" when we open the lids in December. Next week, it will be time for the raspberries, my faves. Happy Canada to you and Happy 4th as well coming up.
Hi, I came across your blog this morning via My Yellow Farmhouse. I live about 30 minutes away from you. Your jam looks yummy! Haven't had a chance to make any yet this season, but we did have a yummy strawberry shortcake for our Canada Picnic today at the park. Have enjoyed reading several of your previous posts. I am the president of a fairly new quilt guild in Digby and would love to have you join us. Contact me for info if you're interested.
Nom Nom Nom Nom.............boy that jam looks soooooo good. I'd love to eat some on a fresh hot bisquit!
Think you can spare a jar and the recipe for my birthday?
LOL!!!!!!!
Love your note from Darlene D! Wish a hooker would find me, here on the panhandle and I'd have a regular hooking pal 30 minutes away. Ain't happened since.
Tell Mr. PQ to lay off the jam........he's already sweet enuf!
xoxoxoxoxo
I meant "ain't happened yet". See what happens when I use poor grammar?
xoxoxoxo
Happy Canada Day, my Canadian friend!
Looks DEE-Lish
L♥ve the color ! ! !
hugs
Wow! You went all out with those wonderful looking strawberries!!! I've never heard of making jam without cooking it, so I'll investigate this method with great interest!!!
Happy Canada Day Kaaren and Mr. P.. I too have been a slave to the preserving this past week. I have put up 38 jars of new potatoes, 10 gallons of peaches, off of just one of our trees, in the freezer, 5 gallons of blackberries in the freezer and they are still coming on, 56 quarts of green beans, 5 quarts of gooseberries frozen, I forgot how much rhubarb, but several gallons, 9 pts of "Tomato Special" (family recipe) and 3 5-gallon buckets full of Christmas Pickles. I know there is more to come this next week. Your strawberry jam looks so yummy and you are right, you can't go wrong with the freezer. :) J
Gosh, you've got me interested in strawberry freezer jam again. I made it a few years back and I believe there was more sugar than strawberries. Thanks for peaking my interest; strawberries looked delicious.
Happy Canada Day! Last year we were in Alberta Canada on Canada Day for a family reunion (my MIL is Canadian) and a small town celebration. Very fun!
I love freezer jam--the only way to go! We had strawberry and raspberry on our homemade wheat bread with our dinner today. The only jam I will eat!
Kaaren, I remember making this jam with my mother many many times. I know it is the best tasting jam! Happy Canada Day!
I have to say I made freezer jam last year and found it runny and not as good as the old fashioned jam..I ended up using it on ice cream and giving it away...a friend just asked me to get her the regular Sure-Jell for jam as she found the freezer stuff not as tastey, too....
Yumm!!! I love strawberry jam!
I also love that DWR quilt in the background!
I've never heard of freezer jam before. I'm off to look at how its made.
Happy belated Canada day! The strawberry jam looks delicious and the colour is amazing.
I'm so craving strawberries now! what a beautiful color red it is too.
enjoy -
I have very fond memories of making strawberry jam with my grandmother. Canadian summers are the best!
¡Que bonito tu bolgs! Me encantan tus trabajos felicitaciones.
Besos
Susana
http://www.mispatchwork.blogspot.com
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