Strawberry Basil Freezer Jam
Are you ready to take some summer and stuff it in a jar? So am I. And what a treat with this EASY, FAST and delicious jam. And once you get the hang of it, you can try this with any old fruit that suits your fancy!
Jam. Oh the ways in which I love you so….
For years I made but avoided eating jam, solely because of the sugar content. That was a bummer. But the last few years I’ve been experimenting with different ways of making jam, using significantly reducted sugar, using honey, trying a new pectin that doesn’t require a truckload of the white stuff to set, and BLAMMO, I’ve found some magic that I want to share with you. In small bits, don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a jam encyclopedia reference article.
A few seconds blitzing with your handy food processor, and your berries are transformed into jam-in-waiting.
Here’s what you need to know:
Jam is EASY! Seriously, it’s a gentle entrance point to canning, and this recipe is it. Work up your confidence to trying other recipes once you kill freezer jam.
Freezer jam, raw jam…all it means is that you crush fruit, add sugar and pectin, give it a few stirs and then bottle that goodness. Preservation method is by freezing so there is no need to cook or seal (yay to less work!). It’s good for a year plus. Especially on those January evenings when you are just craving something that gives you a little reprieve from winter.
Yes, CERTO (or whatever other commercial pectin you might use) is not the devil, but it definitely has its limitations to what you can create, and isn’t always consistent. Did I mention the sugar? (BTW, In my experience, I’ve reduced sugar by half without a terrible experience, it just won’t set like a jello folks, more like a runny jam.)
Pomona’s Pectin is like, God’s response to your prayers in that piece, but provides a slightly different thickening consistency. Not bad, but a little different. And yah, it’s something I think worth noting.
Packaged and waiting for the freezer! Notice the space left at the top for expansion.
Other things that are helpful to know:
Pomona’s Pectin has so many diverse applications, you can’t ignore its brand of awesome, especially for those who are concerned with sugar content. It’s da bomb, seriously. The description says: “Pomona’s Pectin is made in Denmark by extracting the pectin from the dried peel of citrus fruits (like lime, lemon, and orange) after the fruit is juiced and the oil is pressed out of the peel. Pomona’s pectin is 100% pure citrus pectin that is vegan and free from sugar, preservatives, dextrose, GMO, and gluten. There are no additives or apple by-products.”
If you plan to do a lot of canning/jamming and don’t want to pay out the window per box, you can find larger quantities online that will keep indefinitely and cost a fraction of the individual box. Hey Pomona, if you are reading this, can’t you make larger boxes??? Try maybe, a tri-pack or something? And get yourself into regular grocery stores ‘cause you rock my world and I don’t want to ever hunt for you again. That said, you can ususally find this bad girl in health food stores for about $7 CDN a box (which makes 2-4 batches).
Toast is so 1985. Yes to jam on toast obvi, but with this chunky, fresh, lightly-sweetened jam, express yourself damn it! Try it on chia parfaits, granola & yogurt, a base ingredient for salad dressing, over cheesecake, or any dessert for that matter, or let’s face it, out-of-the-jar spoon goodness. And you don’t need to feel like an ass because you are basically just eating fresh fruit. You’re welcome.
So, without further adieu, here is the banger recipe. Try it out and let me know what you think! Also, if you are not a strawberry fan, let me know what other kind of freezer jam you’d like to see posted. You can basically use any fruit, with One Pectin to rule them all.
Strawberry Basil Freezer Jam
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare Pomona's calcium water. See the box for instructions, included here for convenience. Combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (included in the box) with ½ cup water in a small clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Set aside. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use. It lasts for months (up to a year). Always shake before using.
- With hot soapy water, wash and rinse well the glass jars or containers that you are using. Set aside.
- Hull strawberries, mash or blitz with food processor, add basil leaves towards the and blitz until in fine pieces. Measure out 4 1/2 to 5 cups. For strawberries, I found one quart is approximately one cup when mashed.
- Measure fruit into large bowl. Add cane sugar to fruit and mix well.
- Bring 2/3 cup water to a boil. Cool for a few minutes, then carefully pour into a food processor or blender. Add 3 teaspoons pectin. Vent lid if possible and blend 1-2 minutes, until all powder is dissolved. Pectin powder is tacky when wet so be mindful to keep mixture contained and to hand stir to break up any globs that don't uniformly emulsify.
- Add hot liquid pectin to fruit mixture and stir to mix well.
- Add 3 teaspoons calcium water from jar, and mix well into fruit mixture. You should see a jelling of the fruit at this point. If not, stir in 1 teaspoon calcium water at a time until jam is jelled to your liking.
- Fill containers, leaving 1.5 cm or 1" space at top of container. Date and label jam. Store in freezer immediately for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after thawing. Keeps in fridge 1-2 weeks.
- Use fruit at room temperature when making jam.
- It is IMPORTANT to leave at least 1.5 cm/1" of space at the top of your jar. This is because of expansion when freezing.
- With Pomona's, you can easily use other sweeteners besides sugar. Try honey or agave--just be mindful of the differences in sweetness (i.e.:1 cup sugar=2/3 cup honey)
- Pomona's Pectin can be used for both cooked and uncooked jams and with personalized preferences of sugar. This is amazing because traditional commercial pectin packages require a large amount of sugar in order to jell properly, and often include dextrose and preservatives in their pectin powder.
- I love a chunky jam that is neither runny nor completely solid. If you prefer a jam that is closer to a solid, you can increase the amount of pectin and calcium water by 1-2 tsps.
* Nutrition data is approximate and is for informational purposes only.
One last note!
Pomona's Pectin can be used for both cooked and uncooked jams and with personalized preferences of sugar. This is amazing because traditional commercial pectin packages require a large amount of sugar in order to jell properly, and often include dextrose and preservatives in their pectin powder. (No affiliates or payment for this testimonial, I just really like the stuff.)
