You might think that it's a little bit late in the season for strawberries. Well, think again:
These gorgeous little gems come from Quebec's renowned Ile d'Orléans, an island located in the Saint Lawrence river, mere miles from Quebec City. I spied these beauties at my local grocery store and could not resist. The flavour is very concentrated, and they're not watered-down like some of the spring fruit we traditionally get. It was also high-time I used that package of freezer jam pectin I've had wedged in the back of the pantry for years now.
Observe:
Meh. Use before November 09. Well, that's still within my comfort zone. Remember I'm time-challenged? I checked on
Bernardin's website, and the packaging has been revamped (probably twice since then), so if you're looking for this pouch, be forewarned it now looks different:
Why make freezer jam? Well, several reasons. It's no fuss, no muss. Just mash strawberries until you have 4 cups, add 1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar to the pectin, mix together until well-combined, then add crushed strawberries and stir for 3 minutes. No need to sterilize jars and no need to cook the mixture. Why lose all that colour, flavour and those wonderful antioxidants? I really hate to see people spend more time and energy on something that should be this simple. It also produces a superior tasting jam, and that should be reason enough to keep the stove turned off.
Part of the reason I generally avoid jam is the high sugar-to-fruit ratio. Using 1-1/2
cups of sugar to 4 cups of fruit doesn't seem that evil to me. I
wouldn't eat this stuff for breakfast every day, but spread on waffles
or thin pancakes, it's a thing of beauty.
Cracking open a jar of this strawberry jam in the middle of winter can keep a person from going insane. It's like a little ray of sunshine during a long, cold season.
If that's all it takes, well then, sign me up:
The recipe makes 5 - 250mL jars. You can use any type of container to freeze this jam - you don't have to use traditional canning jars like I did. I used them because they were in the kitchen from my mango chutney episode, but little Rubbermaid or Tupperware-style plastic containers will do the trick.
I use it straight from the freezer. I just slice out what I need, and it melts in seconds when put on hot crepes or toast or waffles. Because I'm an infrequent jam-user, my strawberry jam stays much fresher this way.
So if you've never tried this method of jam-making, I hope I've convinced you to try it.
Just don't keep your pouch of freezer pectin on the shelf for 5 years like I did.
