Low Sugar Freezer Jam

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This is the first year that I made freer jam and I don’t think we’ll ever go back. I typically try to and jams and jellies because I like them to be shelf stable. However, we always end up not liking it as much and then I end up with a ton of extra sitting around. It’s forced me to find ways to use up jam like our favorite strawberry blondies and jam bread. I do love having it around for dessert and I’ll likely still can and process other flavors of jam like grape and blueberry. From here on out though, our strawberry jam will be this low sugar freezer jam.

Helpful Information

The biggest issue that I have is that most of these recipes don’t include how many raw berries you need. Everything shows how much you need processed. To be honest, this recipe is straight from the Pemona’s website but I’m going to include some helpful information here for you.

The first thing I’m going to go over is how many berries you need. I picked 11lbs of berries with my little one and we didn’t need nearly that many for this jam. We love to make it into strawberry shortcake though so it was worth picking some extra. if you are purchasing it or picking it yourself, you’ll only need about 2-3lbs for one batch. I used about half of my box, or 5-6lbs, for a double batch.

The second thing you need to know is how much this makes. How is one supposed to get their jars prepared if they don’t know how many they need. It’s a great frustration of mine that I get to the end of something and have to run to grab a couple more jars and lids. It just makes the canning process take that much longer. As someone who seems to be constantly short on time, my goal is to help you be efficient too! One batch of this will make 6 pints. It’s so good though that I recommend you double it and make a whole dozen pints.

Ingredients

This is for one batch.

• 4 cups mashed fruit
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup honey OR 3/4 cup to 2 cups sugar (I use 3/4 cup sugar)
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• One package of Pemona’s Pectin
  • 3 tsp pectin (4tsp if you are using peaches, apricots, or nectarines)
  • 4 tsp calcium water (plus more if needed, see step 1 for how to prepare)

Instructions for Low Sugar Freezer Jam

1. Prepare calcium water. The package from Pemona’s will have this all included. Combine the 1/2 tsp package of calcium powder with 1/2 cup of water in a small clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Set aside.
   *Extra calcium water should be store in the refrigerator for future use if needed.
2. Wash and rinse freezer containers or jars. Set aside. Remember, 6 pints for on batch.
3. If using strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, sour cherry, sweet cherry, pear, kiwi, blackberry, or plum- remove the hulls/stems/pits/skins as applicable, mash or grind, then measure to 4 cups. Make sure fruit is at room temperature when making jam. If using peach, apricot, or nectarine- pit, chop, mash. Peeling is optional. Bring to boil in a pan, boil for 2 minutes while stirring then let cool in a bowl. Then measure to 4 cups.If using peach, apricot, or nectarine- pit, chop, mash. Peeling is optional. Bring to boil in a pan, boil for 2 minutes while stirring then let cool in a bowl. Then measure to 4 cups. To do this step, I wash and hull my strawberries. Then I put them into my Ninja food processor and plus until they are blended well. Remember, you’ll need 2-3lbs of berries for one batch.
4. Measure fruit into a large bowl. Add chosen sweetener to fruit and mix well.
5. Bring 3/4 cup of water to boil. Carefully pour into a food processor or blender. Add 3 tsp of pectin or 4tsp for peach, apricot, or nectarine. vend the lid and blend 1-2 minutes, until all powder is dissolved. I do this step a little different. I bring the water to a boil and then whisk vigorously for a couple of minutes. It works just as well.
6. Add hot liquid pectin to fruit mixture and stir to mix well.
7. Add 4 tsp of calcium water from the jar, mix well into the fruit mixture. Jell should appear at this point. If not, stir in 1 tsp of calcium water at a time until jam is jelled. I typically use 5-6 tsp for my jam.
8. Fill containers, leaving 1/2″ headspace at the top. Store in the freezer for up to a year. Refrigerate after thawing.

In Summary: Low Sugar Freezer Jam

Not only is this jam the most delicious but it’a also so darn easy. I got a double batch done during our afternoon nap time! We love it so much that I don’t think it’ll even take us a year to use up, especially when our peanut girl starts eating some PB&Js. We’ll be whipping up all kinds of our favorite sandwich bread to smother on this low sugar freezer jam all year long. As an added bonus, it retains the bright red color of the berries which makes it so pretty to use too.