Making berry freezer jam

Listen to this radio show (MP3 download) or read below.

Radio interview source: Lynn Blanchard, director, Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen

My parents have a pick-your-own strawberry farm in Maryland, and Mom makes a lot of freezer jam. It's not hard to make. You crush the berries, add sugar and pectin, put it in jars, and into the freezer it goes.

Lynn Blanchard is the director of the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen, and says a make-or-break factor in how it turns out is the condition of the berries.

"We like to see them at the peak of their ripeness, so under-ripe berries can have a little too much pectin in them, and they can cause the jam to set up too much," Blanchard says. "And over-ripe berries can cause the jam to be a little too soft. The peak of flavor is what we like to have people look for."

No matter how perfect the berries are, if you don't follow the recipe directions it's not going to turn out right. The exact amounts of sugar, fruit, and pectin are necessary for a good set.