This has been my grandma’s jam recipe for as long as I can remember. I grew up making jam with my mom every summer, and she grew up making jam with her mom! It was always a fun day and something that I looked forward to every year! We were spoiled with homemade jam in our freezer, and I can honestly say that I have never purchased jam from the grocery store, nor had any growing up. We grew up with strawberry jam, but after getting married, my husband LOVES raspberry jam and I do too! So that is mostly what I make now! I wrote the recipe for raspberry freezer jam, but you can substitute any berry you want. Raspberry freezer jam is very simple to make, it is a little bit of a process, but it is an easy process! Keep reading to learn how to make your own delicious homemade jam, even if you have never made jam before, this will be easy!
Getting the berries to a nicely pureed consistency is made super simple by adding the berries to a blender! Be sure to wash them well, then just add them to the blender and mix until smooth. This creates deliciously smooth raspberry freezer jam!
One of the keys to non-lumpy jam is to stir the pectin in slowly. If you are making jam with a friend (or your mom) 😉 it works great to have one person stirring, and one person pouring the pectin.
During the step when you heat the jam up on the stove, you only need to heat it to room temperature! A trick my mom taught me was to use my pinky finger and dip it into the pot, if the jam is cold it will feel cold, once it is at the right temperature, you almost won’t feel the jam when you dip your finger. That is the temperature you are going for and once you reach it remove it from the heat!!
If you are using glass jars, do NOT fill the jam to the top of the jar, and do NOT screw the lid on tight. I literally set the lid on, I do not even screw it. Otherwise, the jar will crack! Once the jam has been fully frozen, you can tighten the lids. I will do mine after 24 hours in the freezer.
Baking tools I used
What is Pectin?
Fruit pectin is naturally formed in the cell walls of fruit (mainly citrus) and is commercially produced as a powdery white starch, and when it is added to the jam, along with sugar, it will cause the jam to thicken! Making it the perfect, natural additive to jams.
You can usually find it in the baking aisle or sometimes by the canning supplies at several nationwide grocery stores (I buy it at Kroger or Walmart). You can buy it online here!
How much Jam will I make?
How much jam will this actually make? What a great question. I will write out the recipe for ONE “batch” essentially one “round” of jam. When I make this with my mom we make multiple rounds in one afternoon. For example, I made 4 rounds of the recipe below – and I made 12 – 16 oz Mason Jars of jam. So one “round” of this recipe makes roughly 3 mason jar’s worth.
Also for your reference – 4 rounds of this recipe, made 12 jars of jam, and I purchased 1/2 a flat of raspberries.
How to make Rasberry Freezer Jam
Raspberry Freezer Jam
A simple recipe that has been in my family for ages! Simple & delicious Rasberry reezer jam
Wash and set out the jars or containers you will be using
Wash the berries throughly.
Add the berries to a blender, and mix until it is puree
Add the pureed berries into a bowl, mix in the lemon juice and stir until combined.
Slowly stir in the pectin to the berry mixture, ensuring that there are no clumps of pectin. Once it is all mixed in, allow the berry mixture to sit for 30 minutes.
After the berries sit for 30 minutes, add them to a medium size saucepan, and also add the sugar and the karo syrup.
Constantly stirring this mixture, heat it up until it is no longer cold to the touch. Meaning you can dip in your finger and it does not feel cold. Immediatly remove from the heat.
Pour into prepared jars, and allow them to sit until they have cooled completely before freezing.
Notes
This recipe can be used with any berry!
If you are using glass jars, do NOT fill the jam to the top of the jar, and do NOT screw the lid on tight. I literally set the lid on, I do not even screw it. Otherwise, the jar will crack! Once the jam has been fully frozen, you can tighten the lids. I will do mine after 24 hours in the freezer.
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According to NPR, the biggest difference between freezer jam and canned jam is that there is no heat involved. Imagine, a year's supply of fresh, homemade jam without the difficulties of canning. To make freezer jam, you simply follow your favorite jam recipe and then fill jars about ¾ of the way, seal, and freeze.
If you're making fruit jam at home and skipping the canning process, what is often called quick jam or freezer jam, store in the fridge or freezer to preserve, and be aware that it should be consumed within 10 days if refrigerated and 3 months if frozen. It's not shelf stable without proper canning.
If it still hasn't set, it's time to determine how much jam needs to be recooked. You don't want to remake more than 8 cups (4 pints) at a time. For every 4 cups of jam that needs to be remade, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon powdered pectin.
While you can purchase special plastic containers made for storing jam in the freezer, it's not necessary. You can use whatever sealable plastic containers you have hiding in your cupboards, or you can use good, old-fashioned Mason jars.
Follow directions for preparation. In some recipes, the jam must be allowed to stand at room temperature for 24 hours; others can be frozen right after the jam is made.
In its frozen state, freezer jam will last almost indefinitely (at least a year), but, like other high-water products, over time the water “crystallizes out” of the mixture. When this happens, the jam loses its smooth texture and the flavor will begin to deteriorate.
How long does homemade freezer jam last in the freezer? Freezer jam is good for up to a year in the freezer. After a year, the quality of the jam will deteriorate; but you'll probably never have to worry about that problem!
Whisk a tablespoon of powdered pectin (preferably the no-sugar-needed variety) into the pot of cooking jam. Test for thickness and add another tablespoon if needed. Learn More About Pectin: What's the Deal with Pectin?
If your jam is too runny, you can reprocess it to fix runny jam. Learn how to fix runny jam without pectin or by recooking it with pectin and lemon juice.
What turns your jam brown is the same substance that turns cut fruit brown: Oxygen. The head space in your jars is filled with air, albeit less than at normal pressure. A jam jar has no genuine vacuum (= nothing there), but low pressure.
More liquid means more expansion and trust us, you are better SAFE than sorry! Seal the filled jars with a lid. We prefer to use two-piece lids. You can reuse lids over and over again for freezing, not just one time use like for canning.
Use only straight-sided Mason jars for freezing. Instead of using a glass Mason jar, try a plastic tub. Plastic tubs are safe for freezing temperatures, and are great for storing jam, salsa, dairy, and other foods. They are slightly flared at the top, making it easy to remove your frozen product.
Agar agar: Agar agar is a natural gelling agent that comes from seaweed. It can be used in place of pectin to help thicken jams and jellies. Cornstarch: Cornstarch can be used as a thickener for jams and jellies, but it should be used sparingly as it can affect the flavor and clarity of the finished product.
Because it's not cooked, it's especially fresh tasting compared to regular (cooked) jam. And since it's uncooked, for long-term storage, it must be kept in the freezer, not on the pantry shelf.
We think this is a better method than cooking the hell out of your fruit. It's made with fresh fruit, some sugar, and a box of Pomona's Universal Pectin created for freezer jam. The colors of freezer jam stay brighter than traditional methods and the flavors sing more clearly.
I always use glass Ball mason jars or Kerr mason jars when making jam. The half pint (8 oz) size glass jars are perfect, and this recipe will fill 6 half-pint jars. The jars are freezer friendly (I have never had them break on me), and they're cute! Tie some ribbon to them and they make a great gift!
The advantages of freezer jam are that it can be made with very little (or no) sugar, so diabetics can eat it, and it's mostly fruit, not mostly sugar like other jam, so it is healthier. (Other sweeteners can be used to improve the flavor.) Also, since it has never been cooked or canned, the fruit tastes fresh.
Introduction: My name is Duane Harber, I am a modern, clever, handsome, fair, agreeable, inexpensive, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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