I guess I’ll make 65 jars of jam…

What was I thinking?
Well.
I was sorta thinking.
And you know how it usually goes?….if you’re making 5 you might as well make 65?

Yep.
And a 2-hour project turns into a 2am project.
But you know what? I love it!
Making jam is really fun.
And there’s nothing prettier on a white kitchen counter than colorful fruit.

So, you want some Strawberry Freezer Jam??
If I could send you a jar, I totally would!  Because I, uh, have a few to spare.

Of course it’s soooo easy to make.  So STOP, right now.  Go to the store.  Buy a few ingredients and make it this evening!
You will laugh at the simplicity!

If you’ve never made jam before, grab the RECIPE HERE.

And since we finally used the last jar….making 65 new jars seemed like the perfect way to christen the new kitchen.

The great thing about making freezer jam is it doesn’t require all the boiling, sterilization, and other steps that true canning requires.   The steps are minimal, the cost is minimal, and just one of those 2-pound strawberry containers above will fill 5-6 half-pint jars (below).

Then you just cut, chop (or smash), mix, and mix, and pour.

Btw, I love having a single-tub sink.  We had one in the last house as well and I will never, never go back to 2 tubs.  You can fit everything in there, including a large cookie sheet when it needs to soak.

But back to jamming.
Just follow the recipe on your pectin box or check out my details here.
Then watch it all transform from yummy, into extra yummy.



And if you want it to last all year, just go ahead and pick up 6 boxes of pectin.
Then you can make all this!…..

Of course it’s best to consider how much freezer space you have, or you might be (cough) giving your husband that sheepish smile when you try to actually store (shove) 65 jam jars in there with the frozen peas and chicken nuggets.
Heh.
We might need to buy another freezer, to hold my inexpensive hobby.
Cause that totally makes sense.

The good news is, I have plenty of jam to give to friends and neighbors!
It’s wonderful to have little gifts on hand.

And it’s also wonderful to carefully see how many different ways you can stack 65 jars.

I set them on the table to take a picture and Lucy thought it was a fantastic game.  She carefully stacked and restacked, made a castle, created an army of jam soldiers, and then brought out the Perler Bead people to live in the strawberry castle.

Whether it’s a rock or a jar of jam, I love how kids find a way to pretend play.

Okay.
Stop reading and get jamming!


  1. Freezer jam is my absolute favorite!!! Those are the juiciest strawberries I have ever seen, I bet they made the yummiest jam! If you’re going to stay up late might as well be doing something fun! Love the pictures you got of the jarred jam, so creative and fun! Wish you could send me a jar!

  2. 2) Cindy

    Raspberries make awesome freezer jam as well!!!

    • 3) Dana

      mmm. That sounds delicious too. And Deliacreates.com just shared a fantastic looking cherry-lime version! Yummmm.

  3. hehe you’re a crack up – 65 jars!!! i need to make some of this; summer berries are my favorite indulgence in the wintertime.

    • 5) Dana

      yes! So true. When it’s 20 degrees and gray it’s so fun to pop open a jar of jam 🙂

  4. 7) Becky Thompson

    I’ve never heard of freezer jam until now. Wish I’d of known that a couple of weeks ago when a neighbor showed up with a 5 gallon bucket of plumbs. But I got a dozen or so jars of fabulous preserves. Reminds me…I need a candy thermometer…

    Where are your chair covers????

    • 8) Dana

      hahah. I know! I just started sewing them yesterday!!

  5. 9) Linda

    Add rhubarb to the mix and the jam is even better. I use my mother-in-law’s recipe – the key to hers is a box of strawberry Jello (food purists -please don’t beat up on me). It makes awesome strawberry or strawberry-rhubarb jam. And every time I put it on my whole wheat homemade bread toast or in a pbj sandwich, I think of that most amazing woman who sadly is no longer here on earth – I miss her every single day.

    • 10) Dana

      Yum! That sounds divine!

  6. They look good ! Just in case you have too many: I don’t know if it’s the case everywhere, but here in Minneapolis, the town pantry takes fresh foods during the Summer to give back to people in need. That might be a good way to get rid of some !

    • 12) Dana

      What a cool idea! I should see if Austin does that.

  7. Gifts! ~ for hostess gifts if you go eat at someone else’s house, or they come to eat at yours, ‘just because’ gifts, ‘trade’ gifts – if you’ll help me with ___, I will give you ___ jars of jelly, a person on your heart at church or in the neighborhood/mom’s group, etc. If they last long enough – Christmas gifts. Give some to the homeless shelter for the meals as well as some for the workers to take home. Once you get over the shock of all those jars of jelly, you’ll come up with some ideas of your own! Pray on it ~

  8. 14) bdaiss

    This reminds me of what happened when we started finishing our basement. Since that was where all my canned goodies lived I had to relocate them. Which brought me to the realization that I had about 35 gallons worth of goodies…including 5 gallons of pickled beets. (In the end, I rearranged my kitchen cabinets and, imagine that, we use way more of those goodies on a regular basis!) With that…I love strawberry jam! Canning really isn’t that hard though and I hate giving up precious freezer space for jam so I usually make it the old fashioned way.

    • 15) Dana

      haha.
      Yea, I do love canning also. It’s so rewarding!
      And good old fashioned fun 🙂

  9. 16) Amanda

    Love it! We did 7 batches, but did it the ole fashion way too, canning. I too have a hard time giving up my freezer space! I love it though! Such a proud feeling, having all this homemade goodness to give to my family! Hopefully this lasts the year, lol!

  10. Looking good – you know the photos make it look worth while!!!!!!! Well done 🙂 P.S. You must have a generous freezer 😉

  11. I got into canning when i was pregnant with the second and although i keep buying fruit, i havent done it again. Its been over 2 years. I really like doing it too. Maybe next summer i’ll join you. My favorite recipe is a strawberry jalepeño jam i found on all recipe. Now im craving homemade jam… Thanks Dana! (sarcasm haha)

  12. 19) Collette

    1 – awesome
    2 – 65 is not too many, there is no such thing as too much homemade jam (my favorite is raspberry)
    3 – an upright freezer is an awesome investment. I love ours!
    4 – I’m always surprised when people say they like or want one big sink instead of a split one. I have one and I always want it split.

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  14. god you are funny! 65 jars is crazy! i love making jam (cherry guava jelly) using fruits from my parents garden but a big batch makes me about 12 jars not 65! can’t wait to give this a go – it sounds a hell of a lot easier (and quicker) than the way I make jam (cooking etc).
    Also I purchased your new pattern on Monday – I’m half way through making the dress (a-line version) – it’s super cute! Will send you a pic once it’s done…. love love (as always) everything you do! inspiring. peppi x

  15. I love making jam and all sorts of preserves, especially as the harvest comes in. Unfortunately my family doesn’t eat jam, or very little. If we opened one jar, it would last weeks until I had to dump the last 2 tablespoons. I do better at just freezing the fruit and vegetables and it is more likely to get eaten. I won’t disclose how many freezers we have 🙂 .

  16. and here I was bragging about the 11 jars of strawberry jam I put up last week…you are superwoman!

  17. 24) British American

    Wow! That is a lot! We picked strawberries locally and I was impressed with myself for making 12 jars of jam. 😛 I’d only just heard of the freezer kind. My daughter says it’s the best jam ever and I should be famous for it and sell it in a store. Which is funny since it’s so easy! I wish I had more freezer space. It was hard enough to fit 10 of them in mine.

  18. 25) Yaya

    Вот вы жируете. Столько добра в помойку. А что оторвать хвостики руками слабо?

  19. We’ve been debating the single.bowl vs double bowl sink for our new house and decided on the double bowl specifically so we’d have a place for a dishdrain. I’m curious..with a single sink where do you dry the dishes you handwash?

  20. 27) Melanie P

    How long will the jam last after taking it out of the freezer? I’ve never tried canning, but the pretty pictures are so tempting!

  21. I’ll trade you for some Fireweed Jelly. Definitely an “only Alaskan” jelly, since we have fireweed all over the place. (PS If you don’t know what fireweed is, google it, they’re beautiful flowers that grow wild up here.) Jam Jars cost about $25 for one case, so we really scrimp and save all ours.

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