Oh yes, and this is also why:
And that is just Wednesday's batch of jam! My freezer is now full of about a year's worth of lovely strawberry jam. Have you ever tried making strawberry freezer jam? It's easy and it is so delicious. However, the fruit-to-sugar ratio is quite shocking:
Yes, that's 2 cups of mashed strawberries and 4 cups of sugar. Oh, but my goodness is it so yummy. I love a spoon or two of this jam over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (For my strawberry jam recipe, I just follow the one that comes in the package of Sure-Jell pectin. Click here for recipe)
My reason for this post is to share with you one of my favorite tools. Last year when I was making strawberry jam, I discovered that a grapefruit spoon is perfect for removing the stems from the berries. I used to use a small paring knife, but now this is my weapon of choice. It's simple, dishwasher safe, already in my utensil drawer, and it won't give me a nasty cut if I'm not paying close attention to what I'm doing.
Another good strawberry tool I found was a silver/or metal baby spoon. It just takes out enough of the stem part and doesn't crush the berry in the process. But, that was befoe I had a grapefruit spoon too. Your jam looks superbly
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What cute containers, where did you get them?
ReplyDeleteI love that picture of Finn! And way to go on the jam...you are much more adventurous than me!
ReplyDeleteI found the jam containers at Walmart and also my local grocery store. I went to Walmart looking for the traditional square ones, but these new cute ones were all they had stocked. In both stores the containers are located near the other canning / preserving supplies (pectin, jars, lids, etc)
ReplyDeleteI just discovered the love of freezer jam this year- I'm getting nervous on our consumption of it...I want to make it last though the winter!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI too just made freezer jam. When I picked up the pectin box I was also shocked at the sugar ration and then I found the BALL FRUIT JELL FREEZER JAM packet. It calls for 4 cups of fruit and 1.5 cups of sugar...not so bad! You can see it here: http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=IN5130&bhcd2=1217957341
ReplyDeleteI bought it at my grocery store next to all the cool new Ball jars and containers.
Thanks for the tip, Dayna! If I get up the energy to make any more freezer jam this year, I'll use the Ball brand.
ReplyDeleteI second the BALL FRUIT JELL FREEZER JAM pectin comment. Way less sugar and the finished product is sooo tasty.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the grapefruit spoon tip! We got a little tool for our wedding that was a little jagged-edged scoop on a handle that was _perfect_ for taking out strawberry stems, and I've been lost without it since it disappeared. But I have a grapefruit spoon, and I'm excited to see if it works as well!