Panic is beginning to set in. It's becoming more difficult to find favorite summer fruits at produce stands. It's time for some old-fashioned puttin' up.If you've never tried making jam, you might give freezer jams a try this year. They are practically foolproof. They require so little cooking that the process preserves the fresh, bright flavor of in-season fruit. Plus, you don't need a collection of Mason jars to process the jam when you're done. It can be poured into plastic jars with plastic lids. All you need is plenty of freezer storage.Most freezer-jam recipes call for the addition of pectin, a gelatinlike substance that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables. It is added to fruit that does not have enough natural pectin of its own to set up when making jam. You will find pouches or boxes of pectin sold with the baking supplies in most grocery stores.Pectin requires a high ratio of sugar to fruit in order to gel properly. If you want to make low-sugar or sugar-free jam, you need a recipe designed for low or no sugar. Often those recipes call for gelatin instead of pectin.You will find plenty of recipes for jams inside the pectin box. The Sure-Jell Web site at www.kraftfoods.com/surejell is another great source for recipes.Freezer-jam tips:Do not alter recipes. All of the ingredients need to be exact or the jam won't set up.You can't reduce the sugar or substitute Splenda in recipes calling for regular pectin.Rinse fruit and dry it well before you begin preparing it.A potato masher works great for crushing berries.Most recipes work just fine with frozen, unsweetened fruit. Just make sure you thaw it thoroughly and use the juice.Use regular granulated sugar, not extra-fine.If the recipe calls for lemon juice, use fresh juice and don't leave it out. The lemon juice is often necessary to retain color and balance the pectin with the amount of sugar.When filling containers, leave about 1/2 inch of air space at the top.Before you place the lid on the container, wipe the edge of the container with a damp cloth so that you will get a good tight seal.After you fill the containers, allow them to stand at room temperature for 24 hours before freezing or refrigerating.Freezer jams should be used within a year and they should be stored in the refrigerator after opening. Once opened, they should be used within three weeks.(Contact Gwen Schoen at gschoen(at)sacbee.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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