This past weekend I was working on selling a pretty, old home to some interested buyers in Spring City. This tiny town is a ten minute drive from my town. It’s one of those quaint places that are a rare find in which once people discover it, their heart stays there.

I was offered by one of the kind and interested buyers an entire flat of blackberries because they were “just giving them away down the street.” I greedily and gratefully accepted them and set off for home with visions of blackberries swirling in my head.

After hungrily popping the fresh, juicy, slightly bitter but equally sweet morsels in my mouth (and dipping them in real maple syrup… Mmm…) I set to making up a batch of freezer jam.

Freezer jam is cooked jam’s beautiful little sister that many people have never met. Its an underused and under appreciated process to preserving fruit that is more simple but does require storage in the deep freezer.

Because there is no cooking involved, it retains it’s naturally fresh fruit flavor more than cooked jams.

While I’m not committed to any particular brand of pectin, I try very hard to stay away from the brands that involve corn syrup. I have never noticed a taste difference between those and the others that just call for sugar so I definitely feel much better about going without the corn syrup.

Once you’re ready to pour your batch into jars the jam sets up fast so I suggest having your jars cleaned, dried, and ready to go before you start.

I am very picky about the texture of my jam. I don’t like chunks; I like it as smooth as possible. I always run all of my fruit for jams through a food processor to ensure a smooth consistency.

RECIPE

3 CUPS BLACKBERRIES

5 AND 1/4 CUPS SUGAR

1 PACKAGE Surejell PECTIN

Puree, process, or mash berries (to your liking).

Slowly stir in all of the measured sugar (be exact). Let stand for ten minutes, while stirring intermittently (until no longer grainy).

On the stove top, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil and stir in the pouch of pectin; stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove.

Add cooked pectin to the sugar/fruit mixture. Stir well.

Pour into prepared jars, leaving 1 inch from the top for freezing expansion. Let sit for 24 hours to set before freezing.

Enjoy on a slice of freshly-baked bread.

Makes 7 cups