I first discovered the Mrs. Wages line of canning products last year and I’ve used them with some frequency since then. In April, I became a contributor to their monthly newsletter. My little column includes some chatty articles and recipes (much like what you find here). This week, I’m pleased to be giving away a basket of their mixes, pectins and other products. If you’re interested in entering to win, click here and leave a comment. Now, time for blueberry cinnamon freezer jam.
Confession time. Until I made this batch of jam, I’d never tried my hand at freezer jam before. Living in a small apartment, I am desperately short of both refrigerator and freezer space. For me, the point of preserving is to make things that are shelf stable. But I’ve heard people rave about the fresh and bright flavors of freezer jam, so I was excited to give it a try.
It’s easy enough. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and the contents of the pectin packet in a bowl and stir to combine.
Set a timer to three minutes so it’s ready to go (this is how long you’re going to stir once all the ingredients are in the bowl).
Add four cups of mashed fruit (I used blueberries, though from what I hear, strawberries or raspberries are more traditional choices).
One heaping 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (my mom always puts cinnamon in with her blueberry jam, so my tastebuds are conditioned to like it best that way).
Start your timer and stir, stir, stir.
When those three minutes are up, your work is nearly done. Just pour the jam into jars and put the lids on (you can even re-use lids in this case, since you’re not looking to get a good seal. Just make sure to give them a good sniff, so that you don’t end up putting garlicky pickle lids onto your jam).
Pop ’em into the fridge (for up to a couple of weeks) or the freezer (for up to a year) and you’re done.
All in all, I felt very satisfied by my first freezer jam experience. I loved the speed with which it came together. However, I have found that this jam is better on toast than it is stirred into yogurt. Because you don’t cook the jam, it utilizes a strong pectin in order to get a set from the fruit. I found that the pectin ends up trying to set the yogurt, leaving it curdled and a little gross. Live and learn!
And don’t forget to click over to the Mrs. Wages giveaway and leave a comment (preferably featuring a story about your apron-wearing habits) to enter. And if freezer jam just isn’t your thing, check back tomorrow when I’ll be posting a different, small batch blueberry jam recipe.
Hmm…I just picked my first blueberries of the season, and I’m glad that you’ve posted this recipe (and I look forward to the other recipe, too, as I have about 7 pounds of blueberries to can).
Freezer jam is yummy! Wish I had a freezer or a fridge that wasn’t so tiny! Never realized about the yogurt not mixing well with the freezer jam. Very good to know 🙂
I’ve tried freezer jam twice and been very happy. It is just so easy! I use it as sort of my backup jam when I run out of the canned stuff. In the last batch I made ( strawberry rhubarb), I used less sugar than it called for. It didn’t set up quite as well as the first batch, but I still enjoy it!
I have not tried Mrs Wages freezer jam yet, to be honest I don’t recall seeing it in the stores , I normally only run into the pickles and salsa mixes here in NC. I have to run errands today I think I’ll look for some freezer jam and let my girls make some over the weekend.
Ginger : )
I have never seen Mrs. Wages products in localstores. I’ll have to search for it. I can look on the internet and see where it is available.
Freezer jam is my favorite. Strawberry and peach are the standards in my family… but i will have to try to make some blueberry freezer jam.
I’ve only seen the full line of Mrs. Wages at Tractor Supply Co. but I know Walmart carries some of them as does most of our local grocers.
Never though of cinnamon with blueberry, but I do make Alton Browns spiced blueberry jam which has star anise, cloves and cinnamon and a dash of apple cider vinegar.
I’ve just been thinking about making some blueberry jam. I like the addition of cinnamon!
Thanks for this post, I plan on making some cherry freezer jam in the next week or so but I might add the blueberry to it. The cinnamon is a great idea.
I have never tried blueberry jam. We are getting good blueberries here now. I freeze enough every year for 6 pies and 6 coffee cakes and smaller bags for adding to pancakes.
I seldom do freezer jam either as just used to doing the canning. I have seen Mrs. Wages at the grocer and the farm supply store, along with the Ball supplies. I think I may try some. My husband is the only one that eats blueberry jam…usually buy on vacation somewhere every year. I will ask him if the cinnamon addition sounds good to him and go from there.
I’m making the blueberry freezer jam minus the cinnamon. We think it takes away from natural taste of berries.
I made blackberry jam with rose petal cinnamon last year and it tasted great! However, the cinnamon made it the slightest bit gritty. Do you ever notice that with yours?
I know the Shop ‘N’ Save grocery store (in Bridgeton, MO) is carrying Mrs. Wages’ products in the produce department; don’t know if other stores in the chain are carrying them tho…
I tried some sugar-free peach freezer jam a few years ago for my hubby, he wasn’t thrilled with it, but this looks like a recipe to try out… I made some cooked peach/blueberry jam earlier this week that turned out great…
I’d love to try some freezer jam again. Last year’s didn’t quite turn out right!
Great looking recipe- just getting to this seasons fresh berries too!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
I just came into a large bag of apricots from a coworker, and this sounds like the perfect way to use them up! (Perhaps apricot-jalapeno…)
So is freezer jam pectin significantly different than regular pectin? I was noticing the other day in the store that the ingredients lists are almost identical, and wondered if it’s absolutely necessary to use the freezer jam pectin.
Not familiar with Mrs. Wages products. And haven’t ever made freezer jam- I don’t have much freezer space but could probably make some to try a batch or two. We go through so much low sugar jam, it would probably be more efficient.
I was so glad to see that I could use my jelly jars. I just made a batch of blueberry jam and was wondering what I would use to put the jam in and I came upon your instructions. I made freezer jam but just used sure jell instead of the freezer pectin. It is pretty runny-I hope it will set up in 24 hrs. I will be using you instructions pretty often. Thanks,
Toby Fox(mrs)
Hi Marisa! I’m so happy I found your blog! Today I tried your blueberry cinnamon freezer jam….YUMMMMMY! And so simple! Posted about it on my blog, too! I’m a canning newbie, so I’m sure I will be coming back to your blog LOTS for helpful hints!
Thanks for the inspiration! And the kick in the pants to give it a try!
Have a great day!
Lori
I did some freezer jams last year, at my mother’s request, and I wasn’t wild about them. The blueberry jam is really runny and wet when thawed. The blackberry is good, and the pear grape jam is good, but we also hold our freezer space near and dear.
Freezer jam is the answer when I want to use fruit quickly; doesn’t hurt that it’s delicious as well.
Your timing is perfect! I just finished making a few batches of strawberry freezer jam (our season is a few weeks behind here in the Pacific NW) because my kids really like the “fresh” flavor of the berries. I have only made cooked jam once before years ago but recently (due to your blog) have been wanting to do “cooked” jams and put them up.
Your post convinced me to do it because I had not considered how the different pectins would affect my final product. Who knew that stirring freezer jam into yogurt would make it so weird!
Thanks
Hi,I just found your website linked from another blog I frequent..I have never made any kind of jelly/preserves and interested in trying freezer jam..I was wondering if you make the freezer jam do you have to sanitize the jars first?Also I am alittle leary about putting glass in the freezer..Do they hold up well?
Your blog is great!I’m so glad I found it!!!
Hilary – I just found this site recently, so perhaps my answer to your question is too late. However, for my strawberry freezer jam, I just run the jars, rings, and lids through the dishwasher with a decent quality detergent. The jars, once cool, are fine in the freezer. Just leave a bit of head space for expansion. Hope this helps.
My most favorite sandwich is warm sunny millet bread spread with cashew butter and blueberry jam, layered with kiwi or strawberry slices and liberally sprinkled with cinnamon. Thank you for making it just one step easier. 😉