FRESH FRUIT FREEZE: Put your freezer to work when making jams, jellies

Making your own jam and jelly is easy. At least I think it is, as I use the freezer method for most of my jams rather than the cooked method. Freezer jams require no cooking and the finished product tastes remarkably like fresh fruit.

It takes three ingredients to prepare freezer jams: fruit, pectin and sugar. For consistently reliable and delicious results, it is important to always measure properly and follow the recipe exactly. Freezer jams and jellies have a softer set, which I like, because you can pour it over ice cream or top a cheesecake or angel food cake.

Fruit

Use firm, ripe fruit for the best flavor. This is where hand picking your own berries/fruit comes into play. Plus, homegrown, hand-picked berries are juicier, sweeter and better tasting than store-bought. You can also be choosy when picking your own, resulting in a ripe, fresh, better quality product that is less expensive. I usually pick strawberries at this time of year but strawberries are sensitive to weather (rain, drought and cooler temperatures) and with the cold spells we have been having, the berry season in our area may have been affected. I spoke to one of the local U-pick farms and they said that at this time their strawberries were not plentiful; however, there is still hope. All they need is some nice sunshine and warmer temperatures for the plants to produce. Since you won’t be cooking the fruit, the flavor of the jam is going to be much like the flavor of the fruit. So, if the fruit is over- or under-ripe, you will be able to taste it. Jam made with under-ripe fruit may also gel too much, while jam made with overripe fruit, may not gel enough. Some fruits such as apricots, peaches, mangoes and apples need extra acid (use lemon juice) to help them thicken.

Pectin

Traditional cooked recipes called for making jams and jellies without pectin; this required a long cooking process to thicken the jam. Pectin, which occurs naturally in fruit, is what makes the jam “set” or thicken. Some fruits have more natural pectin than other. For cooked jams or jellies, using store-bought powdered or liquid pectin dramatically reduces the cooking time as well as helps preserve the vitamins and flavor of the fruit, and requires much less added sugar. The concentrated natural pectin you buy in the supermarket is commercially produced from fruit — usually apples or citrus. The most common freezer jam recipes call for powdered pectin; however, you should use whichever form of pectin product your recipe specifies as they are not interchangeable. Some recipes call for additional pectin to thicken it. I do this when I want my jam to have a thicker consistency (more like preserves); I just add a little more to my mixture.

Sugar

Sugar inhibits the growth of bacteria, which keeps your jam fresh, fruity and safe to eat. Jam recipes are formulated to call for a certain ratio of pectin to sugar — this ratio is important because the jam will not gel properly if you don’t use the correct amounts. There are also low-sugar pectins that allow you to reduce the amount of sugar needed in your jam recipe. Remember, it is important to follow the recipe proportions and instructions on the package. Altering recipes or ingredients can cause your jam or jelly to fail to thicken properly.