When the weather is too hot to cook and you have a bowl full of ripe fruit, freezer jam is a method of making jam that doesn’t involve cooking the fruit. What is especially nice about freezer jam, it is about as close as you can get to the fresh taste of just picked peaches, strawberries, or whatever other fruit you happen to have on hand.
The canning process for freezer jam is the easiest of all. Wash your jars, fill them, let them sit at room temperature for 24 hours, then place in freezer. That’s it! After opening, keep the jam in the fridge.
EASY PEACH FREEZER JAM
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs. ripe peaches (enough to make 3 cups of mashed peaches)
4 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 box Sure Jell* dry pectin
*You can use another brand of dry pectin, but you’ll need to follow their instructions for ingredient amounts.
METHOD:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Cut an X in bottom of peaches with a paring knife. Add peaches a few at a time to the boiling water and blanch 30 – 45 seconds (depending on ripeness), then remove and transfer peaches immediately to the ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, lift out and peel. The skin should peel back easily from the X.
Halve peaches and remove pits. Cut peaches into chunks in a large bowl. Mash peaches with potato masher or fork.
Measure out sugar in large bowl. Measure 3 cups of peaches and add to sugar. Stir in lemon juice. Stir well and sit aside so sugar can dissolve.
In small saucepan, place 3/4 cup water. Whisk in fruit pectin (Sure Jell). Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Pour into fruit mixture. Gently stir mixture until all sugar is dissolved.
Pour into clean 8 ounce jars and leave 3/4 inch head space. Using a damp paper towel, wipe around rim and sides of jar to remove any residue. Place lids on jars and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, place jam in freezer until ready to use. Thaw in refridgerator overnight before using. After opening, store jam in the refrigerator.
For other freezer jam recipes, see Berry Freezer Jam, Strawberry Freezer Jam.
