Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam with Pomona’s Pectin

It’s strawberry season and the perfect time to make batches of Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam to use all year long! I love homemade jam, but I’m not a fan of the enormous amounts of sugar required to work with regular pectin. With Pomona Pectin you can sweeten your jam to taste using dry or liquid sweeteners and let the natural flavor of fruit shine through! I made a trial batch of Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam with Pomona’s Pectin and 1/2 coconut sugar and 1/2 cup honey and the entire family loved the results!

What is Pomona Pectin?

Pomona Pectin is a 100% pure citrus pectin that works with calcium water to preserve your jam. The process for making jams and jellies with Pomona is similar to using regular pectin, but requires that you first make calcium water. You can use any dry or liquid sweetener with this pectin that measures like sugar or honey (Xylitol, Sucanat, Stevia, Splenda, Fructose, Agave, Maple Syrup, Concentrated Fruit Sweetener, Coconut Sugar). This means you can meet special dietary needs in your family and sweeten according to your own preferences.

Freezer Jam

I’ve always loved strawberry rhubarb freezer jam. There is something delightful about the texture and taste that I always look forward to, especially in the winter months. It’s easy to make and stores for about a year in your freezer. It also makes an amazing gift!

Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam Recipe

This recipe is terrific because you only need a few ingredients and a blender. You can make it quickly and with a surprisingly small mess. If you don’t like rhubarb or don’t have any on hand, simply increase the amount of strawberry in your recipe. I personally like the rhubarb for tartness and all of the fantastic health benefits increase the amount of strawberry in your recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups cut strawberries (about 4 cups whole strawberries)
2 cups cooked rhubarb (chop rhubarb, add a little water, cook until soft, measure). It takes quite a bit of rhubarb stems to equal 2 cups!
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
½ cup up to 1 cup honey or ¾ cup up to 2 cups coconut sugar to taste. I like 1/2 cup raw honey and 1/2 cup coconut sugar.
3/4 cup boiling water
4 teaspoons calcium water, plus more if needed
3 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

Kitchen Tools

Blender or Food Processor

Jam Jars

Instructions

Before You Begin: Prepare calcium water. To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

Wash and rinse freezer containers. I like to use traditional jam jars and store in glass, but tupperware is also an option.

Prepare fruit.

Place fruit in blender or food processor (I like the Oster Versa blender for quality and affordability) and blend until smooth. Add lemon or lime juice. Mix in sweetener to taste. I used 1 cup of coconut sugar and felt like it had just the right amount of sweetness.

Place fruit in a bowl (I reused the pot from the rhubarb to save dishes). Rinse out blender or food processor.

Bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil, then put in blender. Add pectin powder, vent lid, and blend 1 to 2 minutes until all of the powder is dissolved.

Add hot liquid pectin to fruit and stir until well mixed. Add 4 teaspoons calcium water and stir well. Jell should appear. If it does not appear, add 1 teaspoon of calcium water a a time until jam jells. I needed a few extra teaspoons for my jam to jell.

Fill containers to 1/2″ of the top, put on lids, and store immediately in the freezer.

Jam will keep up to 1 year in the freezer and about 1 week in the refrigerator after thawing (but it won’t last that long!)

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