Honey Strawberry freezer jelly

I live in a farming community where we have access to fresh produce a good chunk of the year. A favorite of mine growing up was always homemade strawberry jelly. My mom would make a large batch and store it in the freezer to last us the year. Oh yum!

My first year of being married I wanted my mom to help me make my own batch. I never realized the amount of SUGAR that goes into one batch!!!! WOW. It's like equal parts sugar and strawberries. I was determined to never make any of that sugary stuff again unless I could find a healthy alternative recipe. AND I DID (thanks to my best friend, Pinterest.)

I'd love to share it with you!

Honey Strawberry Freezer Jam

Makes about six 8-10 oz. jars

4 pints of strawberries (about three pounds of berries)
1 cup of apple juice
1/2 cup of water
1 package of No Sugar Needed Pectin
1 T lemon juice
1 cup of honey (I did 1 1/2 cups)

1.  Clean and stem berries.  Mash one layer of berries at a time in a large bowl until all berries are mashed.

2.  In a small saucepan, whisk together apple juice, water, and pectin.  Bring to a hard boil and boil for one minute. (Make sure you stir very well so you don't leave any pectin on the bottom)

3.  Add honey and lemon juice to berries and stir well.  Add in hot pectin mixture and stir well again to make sure everything is combined.

4.  Ladle into clean jars (glass is fine) and screw on lids.  Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to set up and then transfer to the freezer to store. (I used plastic freezer containers)

I used this recipe this week. I doubled the batch, added a little more honey (see note in recipe) and let it set in the fridge 24 hours after making it, before I froze it. It turned out perfect!!! I could eat the stuff by the spoonful, it's so sweet and yummy!!!!

If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it!

Happy freezing.

-A