Has anyone made jam from frozen friut?

[fixer]

We would like to make jam with our frozen blueberries. Has anyone done this? Also, our raspberries tend to ripen in drips and drabs. It would be easier to do this with them.

[craftypam]

In the certo package; there is not directions for frozen fruit; it says fruit to buy (fully ripe) but I can't imagine you wouldn't be able to use it. If you don't do it right away I will let you know because I'm in the same boat. We are getting a handful of raspberries everyday and it calls for 2 cups of crushed raspberries.
There is a website listed on the box itis www.surejell.com

[fixer]

In the certo package; there is not directions for frozen fruit; it says fruit to buy (fully ripe) but I can't imagine you wouldn't be able to use it. If you don't do it right away I will let you know because I'm in the same boat. We are getting a handful of raspberries everyday and it calls for 2 cups of crushed raspberries.
There is a website listed on the box itis www.surejell.com

Your raspberries sound like ours. Raspberries are especially bad since they tend to get "furry" rather quickly. Keep me posted if you make jam with them. I will do the same.

[nuisance26]

~I've made apple butter and marmalade from fruit I've frozen. Turned out just fine!
I'm planning to make blueberry apple jelly from fruit I've frozen so I'll let you know how that turns out.~

[madhen]

You can make jam from frozen fruit, but be sure to measure it BEFORE freezing. Use that pre-frozen measurement when making the jam, as thawed, previously-frozen fruit tends to collapse in on itself a bit, which throws your measurement off if you measure POST-thawing.

[MaryCarney]

I do it all the time, but I crush and measure BEFORE freezing (yes, the previous poster is correct about measuring whole fruit before thawing). It takes up less freezer space already turned into pulp.
I also have just a few raspberries, and often make a mixed berry jam, using the recipe for whatever fruit I have the most of.

[Brat]

I have always done this with the blackberries..measure out for a batch before you freeze.

[Incognito]

I have raspberries, and pick and save them in a plastic gallon ice-cream pail, as they ripen. They are kept frozen until needed for jam.
I do not bother to pre-measure, because when I make jam, I just thaw some berries, and then measure the fruit according to the recipe in the Certo package (called "prepared fruit", not "amount to buy"). For example, if the recipe states that I need 4 cups of prepared fruit, then I thaw and mash berries to make 4 cups, then proceed with the recipe.
I've made jams & jellies for about 35 years, and have sold many hundreds of jars of jam, etc. (made from fresh and frozen fruits & berries) at our local Farmer's Market for 5 years.

Frozen berries are somewhat different in handling for jam, as I've found that the wild berry skins become harder when frozen. I think it would be better to mash these before freezing, and then thaw and measure before making jam. I often thaw frozen berries, then coarse grind a little at a time in the blender, until I have the amount of prepared fruit the recipe calls for, but this is a fussy task.
I find that during the pre-cooking/cooking phase, the recipe cannot be unattended/unstirred even for a few seconds, or the prepared fruit and certo crystals will instantly coagulate before they even reach the boil-stage (resulting in a softer or runnier jam). No matter what, proceed with the addition of sugar, reaching the full rolling boil stage, and then the 1 minute of rolling-boiling to complete the process. Depending on how the first stage was handled, the jam will be either a little softer, or normal texture, when cooled.

Anyhoo, use ripe fruit (with the blemishes picked off, especially rasps which sometimes are imperfect), measure carefully and make notes, as no two cooks are alike, and even slight changes in methods, stove temps and utensils will make differences in the way the product turns out.
And when all's said and done, it's probably going to turn out just fine!
Good luck!

[frugalfranny]

I have done it quite a bit as I will run short on jam in winter and have to make more. Or decide I want to give it for Xmas gifts and don't have enough on hand for everyone.

Have used the ones I froze and the ones bought frozen from the store. All turned out fine.

Madhens post about measuring while frozen is right on.

[pinetree]

I made some blueberry jam yeserday from blueberries we have had in the freezer for a couple weeks. I just ran them under some cold water and then mashed them, then measured for the jam. It came out ok.

I just throw them in a foodsaver bag, throw it in the freezer for a couple hours or until they are froze, then seal them. I never know if I want them for jam, pies or on pancakes.

[rsbs]

I made blueberry jam from frozen blueberries just yesterday. Turned out wonderful! I agree that it's easier to measure before freezing, but if you didn't it's ok. I rinsed mine (which defrosted them) & they were the correct size & shape for measuring. I'd had mine in the freezer for about a month. I do a cooked, no pectin recipie that is scrumptious!

[emtmama04]

I have a bunch of store bought fruit in the freezer; can I use this to make jam with?

[Incognito]

Yes you can; just thaw enough of it and proceed with the jam recipe in the instructions as for "prepared fruit".

[fixer]

Thanks for the great responses. I had not thought of the problem with measuring accurately after freezing. I tried something different with the raspberries we picked last night. I spread them evenly on a sheet pan. Then I put them into the freezer. Now, they are frozen hard with the same shape as fresh. I will bag them later today. Raspberries do get mushy when put fresh into a freezer bag. I hope this solves that problem and allows accurate measurements. Our blueberries retain their shape so I am not concerned with them.

[Early Bird]

Just want to say that this is a brilliant idea -- here fresh fruit is almost always expensive, and sometimes low quality. But I can buy frozen fruit at Sam's Club for a reasonable price.