Strawberry Freezer Jam

I am not a fan of store bought jams and never buy them. I have always had a love for strawberry freezer jam (my very favorite flavor). My family is very lucky to have wonderful friends and neighbors who supply us with delicious homemade freezer jam. My local market was selling 4 lb boxes of strawberries and I decided to finally make my own batch. It was fun to make, much easier than I thought and the end result was PERFECT. I don't like fancy ingredients in my jam, just fruit and sugar, so the recipe is from the pectin box. Simple and so tasty.

• 4 cups of crushed strawberries (exactly 4 cups)
• 3 cups of sugar (exact amount)
• 1 packet of Sure Jell (less sugar needed) Premium Fruit Pectin
• 1 cup of water
• Freezer jam containers (1-2 cup size) with tight fitting lids, washed and dried

Remove stems from strawberries, wash and slice into half. Mash fruit with potato masher for best results. If you use a food processor, pulse to chop. DO NOT PUREE. The jam should have bits of fruit.

Note: Reducing sugar, water, pectin or strawberries will result in set failures. USE EXACT AMOUNTS. Add exactly 3 cups of sugar, 1 cup of water and one packet of pectin to a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil on medium high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Quickly stir crushed strawberries into the hot sugar mixture. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour into clean containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top for expansion during freezing; Cover. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours until set. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks. Otherwise, store in the freezer for up to 1 year.

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