You say, Jam, I say “La confiture”! As a French-speaking family, delicious homemade jam is the thing that we spread on the breakfast baguette or the little addition that we stir into our plain yogurt for any occasion. Yes, you can use frozen berries to make your jam. It is a convenient way to do a fruit jam recipe. The taste of homemade jam, because of the simple ingredients, is pure sweetness. You can’t compare it to the commercial spread that you will find in grocery stores. If you do a blind test, close your eyes, and taste the homemade jam, you will know exactly which whole fruit is the star of this fine jam.
If you live in Canada you know the incredible Laura Secord Jam brand from the grocery stores that could taste like the homemade one. I also love the Bonne Maman jam from the grocery store near me. Their delicious jam is something! But this homemade strawberry jam recipe from my grandma’s cookbook is as good, if not better!
Homemade Strawberry with Vanilla Easy Jam Recipe with Frozen Berries
You say, Jam, I say "La confiture"! This delicious homemade jam is the thing that we spread on the breakfast baguette or stir into our plain yogurt. Yes, you can use frozen berries to make your jam. It is a convenient way to do a fruit jam recipe. Here is how to do it!
Ingredients
- Frozen strawberries (4 cups)
- 2 cups of sugar (my grand-maman's recipe says 4 but I always put 2 because it's too sweet for me!)
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- Drop of vanilla
Instructions
- To start, you are going to need 4-5 glass jars. Sterilize them first.
- Measure 4 cups of crushed strawberries and add them to your large pot.
- Add the sugar and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, constantly stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Sink the candy thermometer in the boiling mixture and continue cooking until you get 218°F ( it will take around 15 minutes.) You can verify the texture with a drop test. Pour a small amount of your boiling jelly on a plate, and put it in the freezing compartment of your refrigerator for a few minutes. If the mixture solidifies, it should be done. During this test, the rest of the jelly mixture should be removed from the heat.
- Take the pot out of the heat. Add the lemon juice and the vanilla. Stirring often and mashing berries with the back of a spoon if necessary. The mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency within 2 to 3 minutes.
- Strain through a sieve, if desired, then transfer to your heatproof jar with a wide-mouth funnel and let cool completely to room temperature.
Notes
Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Table of Content
- Homemade Strawberry with Vanilla Easy Jam Recipe with Frozen Berries
- Perfect Jam Consistency even with Frozen Berries
- Tips
- Are frozen fruit better than fresh berries?
- Sterilized your glass jars
- Storage
- Why does using frozen strawberries save you time?
- SHOP THE POST
Homemade Strawberry with Vanilla Easy Jam Recipe with Frozen Berries
To start you are going to need 5 glass jars. Sterilize them first.
Take a large pot with a heavy bottom
Ingredients
- Frozen strawberries (4 cups)
- 2 cups of sugar (my grand-maman’s recipe says 4 but I always put 2 because it’s way too sweet for me!)
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- Drop of vanilla
Directions
- Measure your 4 cups of strawberries and add them to your large pot.
- Combine the berries, and sugar and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, constantly stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Sink the candy thermometer in the boiling mixture and continue cooking until you get 218°F( it will take around 15 minutes.)
You can verify the texture with a drop on a plate. Pour a small amount of your boiling jelly on a plate, and put it in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator for a few minutes. If the mixture solidifies, it should be done. During this test, the rest of the jelly mixture should be removed from the heat. - Take the pot out of the heat. Add the lemon juice and the vanilla. Stirring often and mashing berries with the back of a spoon if necessary. The mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency within 2 to 3 minutes. Strain through a sieve, if desired, then transfer to your heatproof jar with a wide mouth funnel and let cool completely to room temperature.
- If you like a smoother version, crush the strawberries with a potato masher or with an immersion blender.
Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Perfect Jam Consistency even with Frozen Berries
A great way to have a uniform consistency is cooking with a candy thermometer. This method is called “controlled cooking”. My grandmother’s cookbook is telling me that it is the only way to win ribbons!
- For a thick jam, you want the candy thermometer to be between 219°F and 220°F
- For a clear jam, you want the candy thermometer to be between 216°F and 217°F
Tips
- No added pectin is required in this recipe. The fruits, sugar, and lemon juice are doing the perfect stability of the jelly. Skip the package of pectin, you don’t need it.
- If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don’t get your water bath canner just refrigerate your jam jars.
Are frozen fruit better than fresh berries?
“When fruit is frozen, it is picked at the peak of ripeness and flash-frozen soon after to preserve the optimal nutrition benefits. Frozen fruit often lasts several months and may be more economical than buying fresh fruit that goes bad quicker. With frozen fruit, you can take out as many pieces as you need and leave the rest for next time. Frozen fruit is also beneficial because it is already prepped for you. It usually comes cleaned and presliced for your convenience. This may save you time when making dishes that contain fruit.” WebMD. (n.d.). Frozen Fruit Versus Fresh Fruit: Which one is healthier? WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/diet/difference-between-frozen-fruit-and-fresh-fruit
Sterilized your glass jars
All jams, and jellies processed in less than 10 minutes should be filled into sterile empty glass jars. To sterilize empty jars, put them right side up on the rack in a water bath canning. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove and drain hot sterilized jars one at a time. Save the hot water for processing filled jars. Fill jars with jam, add lids, and tighten screw bands.
Storage
If 3 months in the freezer is not enough time for your family, there is another way to store your jam. My cookbook is old and it says to paraffin wax the jars. We don’t do this anymore because some mold problems can occur. To prevent the growth of molds and loss of good flavor or color, fill the jars of jam hot into sterile Mason jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace, seal with self-sealing lids, and process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner.
Why does using frozen strawberries save you time?
When you use fresh berries to make a jam you need to wash the berries, then you need to cut the bad part. These operations were already done for you before the berries were frozen. It is totally convenient.
Bon Appétit!
SHOP THE POST
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