Strawberry Freezer Jam

This week we held the the Strawberry Freezer Jam class.  Early summer is the perfect time to make this jam while strawberries are in season.  But truth be told you can get strawberries year-round at wholesale stores (fancy way of saying Costco or Sam's Club) so it is a possibility whenever.
Below is the recipe I used and links to the Sure Jell and Ball websites for more jam recipes if you get really excited.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

2 cups crushed berries (appox 2 pints or 1.5 lbs)

4 cups sugar

¾ cup water

1 pkg pectin MCP brand preferred or Sure Jell

1.Use a food processor to crush the berries or mash with a potato masher. 

2.Measure out 2 cups berries.  Mix in 4 cups of sugar and let sit for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.

3. Start this step after your berries have sat for 6 or 7 minutes.  Bring the water and pectin to a boil over high heat.  Boil 1 minute. 

4. Pour pectin mixture over strawberry mixture and stir well.  Keep stirring until sugar is dissolved up to 3 minutes.  It is very important to get the sugar dissolved. 

5.  Pour into plastic containers and *let set for 24 hour*. 

6. After set, you can keep in the fridge for a few weeks or in the freezer for a year.

Get your veggies and fruit for LESS

I shared with everyone about the food co-op that you can order from.    

You order a fruit/veggie basket from the website and then go pick it up at the given locations.  Orders can be placed Monday and Tuesday and locations have pick up on Saturday (times vary by location).  A basket consists of roughly half fruit and half vegetables and almost fills a rectangular laundry basket.  The exact fruits and vegetables aren't promised before hand, but will follow the seasonal items and they try to keep it a mixture of items.  There are also extra offerings sometimes like bread, special groupings of italian vegetables or salsa makings.  The website will have more details on the order days for these types of things.  

As this is a co-op you bring your own baskets/bags to haul your bounty home and they ask you give some volunteer time before to help sort the produce.  But you save on the cost.  Calculated you will get roughly 2 times the produce you would normally get for the money.  And they do their best to use local producers so you can feel good you are helping your local farmer.  

For more details and prices check the FAQ page for Bountiful Baskets.