- Fiskars Craft

Dress Up Homemade Freezer Jam

Designer: Patti Milazzo

Difficulty rating: Beginner

I love the abundance of incredible summer fruit from our local pick-your-own orchard and farmers’ markets, especially the deliciously sweet berries. I’ve made assorted pies and tarts so far this season but I’ve really wanted to try my hand at making my own jam too. Not only will my family love this sweet treat, but it makes a lovely homemade gift for any occasion. With having little experience with canning however, I thought I’d start simple this summer and try making freezer jam. I was thrilled with how easy and quick it was to make. And once I had my jam sealed in containers, I used assorted Fiskars punches and stamps to dress up the jars making them perfect for gift giving.

Instructions:

1. To make the jam, I started with the ingredient list indicated on the Freezer Jam Pectin package and then followed the instructions to prepare the fruit and mix the Pectin with sugar.

2. I used a food processor to mash the berries and added a squeeze of lemon. Then I added the required amount of prepared fruit to the pectin/sugar mixture and mixed well for a few minutes.

3. To complete the jam, I filled the half pint containers to the fill line, affixed the lid securely let them sit for 30 minutes for the jam to set.

Note: Place in refrigerator or freezer for storage.

4. Meanwhile, I started preparing my supplies to dress up the jars. First, I cut 5.5 inch squares from a cream colored fabric using the Rotary Cutter and Acrylic Ruler.

5. I trimmed the edges with Pinking Shears and rounded the corners a bit too.

6. Next, I stamped “Life’s Sweet” randomly on the fabric to create a cute word pattern.

7. For the paper label and tag accents, I printed “Very Berry Jam” (label) and information about the jam (back of tag) on kraft cardstock.
Tip: Be sure to include space to write the date the jam was made as well as basic storage information.

8. To create the label on the top of the jar, I Squeeze Punched a circle around the “Very Berry Jam” print and matted it on a larger circle cut from pattern paper. I then used the Stamp Blocks to stamp a spoon image (above) and a heart (below) onto the circle.

9. For the tags, I used the Paper Trimmer’s Scallop Blade across the bottom of the tags. Then, I cut each tag to a little larger than the printed area – about 2.25 inches by 3.5 inches.

10. I used the 3-in-1 Corner Squeeze Punch at the top corners and punched a small hole in the center of the tag.

11. On the printed side of the tag, I stamped “From the Kitchen Of:” just above my name on the back of the tag.

12. On the unprinted side of the tag, I stamped a strawberry image across the area several times with Versamark Ink giving the tag a subtle pattern.

13. Next, I punched a narrow strip of green cardstock with the Leaves Border Punch and adhered it across the front of the tag.

14. Then I stamped “You’re Berry Sweet” on green pattern paper and trimmed the sentiment to fit across the tag overlapping the Leaves Border Punch strip.

15. When you’re ready to gift a delicious jar of jam, tie the fabric to the lid with ribbon, attaching the tag as well. And adhere the label to the top. The jam is ready to be given and enjoyed!

....I found this article over at http://www2.fiskars.com/Activities/Crafting and thought it might be a great idea to keep in mind for Christmas this year! Do you make your own Jam?

There are some fabulous inspirational projects over at http://www2.fiskars.com/Activities/Crafting