Did you know … that there are alternatives to canning?
At this time of year, a visit to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market is a particularly amazing experience. Produce stalls are overflowing with fresh tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash and more. And now the harder shelled, sweeter tasting winter squashes are beginning to make an appearance.
It’s so tempting to try and buy it all, and then preserve it all so that the sweet and savory tastes of late summer can remain with us all winter.
Canning, however, can often be too much work for those with busy lives. The recipe below for a freezer jam offers one alternative. It was part of the weekly Power of Produce Club offerings that the market provided to parents and children in the summer, and offers a relatively quick way of making jam without a canner. In addition, the blog Kitchn offers several tips for freezing, dehydrating, and preserving via such substances as oil and vinegar. Check out the link here.
Blueberry Freezer Jam Recipe
Adapted from author Amy Johnson
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: about 3 cups
Ingredients
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons (.875 ounces) no-sugar-needed fruit pectin (like Sure.Jell in the pink box)
Instructions
1. Place blueberries, lemon juice and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Use a potato masher or flat bottom glass to mash the berries. Don’t worry if you don’t have them all mashed. Mash them as well as you can.
2. Bring berries, juice and cinnamon to a boil.
3 . Add granulated sugar; return to a boil. Continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in pectin, bring to a full boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Only 1 minute. Remove from heat.
5. Transfer to canning jars or freezer containers leaving ½-inch space at top. Seal jars/containers. Let stand at room temperature until cool.
6. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 6 months.
Notes
This recipe is for a small batch. Easily double the recipe if needed.
