Strawberry Freezer Jam

Ever since I was a little girl, my Nana would make strawberry jam for our family. She used Santa Maria strawberries of course! Santa Maria is famous for our strawberries and they are the best, in my humble opinion. We get ours from Little Pete’s on Highway 1. They have jam berries you can buy that are sweet, ripe, Chandler strawberries with the stems removed. Years ago, I went over to Nana’s house and she showed me how she makes strawberry freezer jam so she could pass the baton to the next generation of jam makers.

My mom, sister, and daughters have taken over making, “Nana’s Jam” as we affectionately call it. It is simple to make but time consuming. The six of us make an assembly line with one person washing the strawberries, one mashing them, one measuring sugar and fruit, one mixing the sugar and fruit, one mixing the water and pectin, and one pouring the finished jam into containers. My Nana used to make freezer jam all by herself!

Here’s the recipe we use, it is the one from the Sure Jell package insert that no longer exists. I had to go to their website and print it out. Times are changing!

It helps to have many timers going for the various amounts of time things need to be stirred or sit for. I use my Google Home Hub since it can have many timers going at once. In the past we have used everyone’s phone timers. It just helps keep everything straight.

This jam is pure nostalgia for me! One taste and I’m a carefree kid again. I love this tradition of a labor of love that our family gets to enjoy all year long!

Ingredients

crushed strawberries – use a masher and go to town

granulated sugar – we used a whole 25 pound bag and then some for 48 containers of jam

water – self explanitory

Sure Jell pectin – what Nana used and where this recipe came from

Directions

1. Look over jam berries and remove any remaining stems. Fill a sink with cold water and pour strawberries into it. Rinse strawberries under the faucet and move to a paper towel to dry. Crush strawberries thoroughly in a large bowl. Measure exactly 2 cups of crushed strawberries into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Mix water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring for 1 minute. Add to fruit and sugar mixture; stir 3 minutes, or until most of the sugar is dissolved (a few sugar crystals may remain).
3. Fill containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 1 year (if frozen, thaw in refrigerator before using).

The first picture is this year (2023) and the one under it is 2020. Crazy how much the girls have grown!