Strawberry Freezer Jam

Strawberries were on sale today, which made me happy. I've been wanting to make freezer jam but had not been able to find the instant pectin. When I finally found it at Target, the strawberries were not on sale any longer. I took the chance and waited to see if they would go back on sale, they did. 

I made five pints tonight, still have enough berries to make another 10 pints tomorrow - after I make a trip to the store and get more sugar. This is so easy to make, it is no big deal to make up the rest tomorrow. 

Freezer jam is so much better than cooked, in my opinion. I like the way it taste like fresh strawberries. Freezer jam is also much easier to make than the cooked. 

I used the recipe that came with the Ball Instant Pectin:

1 2/3 cup prepared fruit (washed, hulled and mashed. )
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbls. instant pectin
1 tbls. bottled lemon juice if using peaches (I don't know why you could not use juice from a lemon, but it does specify "bottled".

Mix sugar and pectin together, stir in prepared fruit and stir for three minutes. Pour into sterilized jars. Let set 30 minutes before putting in freezer.

Note: leave 1/2" space at top of jar to allow for expansion.

This stuff is good on just about anything. So yummy on angel food cake and ice cream.

Strawberry Time

It's strawberry season and I am taking advantage of putting some in the freezer and making strawberry jam. I put about 45 bags in the freezer yesterday, love using them in smoothies and other recipes. I'll be putting more in the freezer this week. I decided to also make a small batch of strawberry freezer jam (I like freezer jam and jellies much better than cooked; it has a fresher taste, in my opinion.) This morning I made some Coffeehouse Scones to go with my fresh strawberry jam - and my goodness, what a great treat for a Saturday morning.

Coffeehouse Scones:

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
2/3 - 3/4 cup (160 - 180 ml) buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently and form into a round that is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Use a 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet and brush the tops of the scones with a little milk.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.