Thursday, July 24, 2008

Blueberry Freezer Jam


My friend, Lambie, is an Earth Mother. Everything she cooks or bakes is made from scratch. I used to be an Earth Mother when my babies were little. Baked my own bread without a breadmachine, made my own baby food. Though I couldn't claim to be in the same league as Lambie. Then the girls got bigger and somehow we became busier with Brownies, soccer, karate, school functions. I traded in my Earth Mother apron and became a suma cum laude graduate of the Jane Jetson Culinary School. You know, push a few buttons, ding! Supper's ready.

This summer, Lambie is the 4H Farm Kitchen Camp Director. She's been busy with her campers picking veggies, making salads, churning butter and making pancakes to put the butter on. Last week she told me she was making Freezer Jam with them.

Well, Freezer Jam, who woulda thunk? No cooking the fruit. No boiling Mason Jars. No sealing jelly with parafin and capping in a water bath. Freezer Jam was a process worthy of a Jane Jetson culinary school graduate. Lambie said you mash up fruit, add sugar, add pectin, put into containers and voila, jam. Lambie told me I could find the pectin at Wallyworld in the kitchen area and inside were directions for making Freezer Jam as well as the traditional cooked stuff.

A trip to Wallyworld where the Young One and I found the pectin, plastic Mason jars that would go in the freezer, and 2 pints of blueberries, The Young One's favorite fruit of choice.

The process isn't difficult, but you need to follow the directions exactly. We mashed, stirred, mixed, and ended up with 5 cups (just like the package said) of blueberry jam. The Young One was disappointed when I told her the jam wouldn't be ready for 24 hours. Hopefully it will set and then we can see if the proof is in the jam.

You can find the recipe for Certo Blueberry Jam by following the link. Other fruit jam recipes are also there if blueberries don't float your boat.

3 comments:

  1. You closet earth mother, you! I love freezer jam...strawberry is my favorite. As an FYI...it doesn't work with splenda.

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  2. Thanks, Erica, I forgot to mention that. I did see in the directions packaging that Certo makes a low sugar pectin too. Will have to look for it the next time.

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  3. I was raised no where near an earth mother... She was the model for Jane Jetson. Well... ok, to be fair, she had a few turns at it when I was young... Anyway... I'm wandering here. Back to topic. My pre-weebles have a friend who make this jam for them. They're currently addicted to Cherry.

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