I used to think making freezer jam was for wimps. Typically, I'd rather can something for real, but it turns out that the canning expert in my family was abysmally uninterested in spending an afternoon sterilizing jars, boiling fruit, and testing seals. So when we all picked persimmons from my brother and his wife's massive tree this December, I went ahead and peeled and sliced my share of the fruit and froze it until the time was right to deal with it.
On New Year's Day, I started jamming. The directions inside the box of pectin led me through the freezer jam process and spelled out the ratio of fruit to lemon juice to pectin I needed to use. I boiled, mashed, and then reduced the persimmons, added Cassia and also Vietnamese cinnamon plus lemon juice, brown sugar, a pinch of salt, and the pectin, and very soon, I was ready to fill up the jars.
The freezer jam process is very laid-back, which is relaxing compared t0 all the details of proper canning, but the only drawback to this little shortcut is that you can't leave your jars of jam out at room temperature or give them away with no worries about them spoiling. The finished jam just stays in the freezer until you are ready to thaw it in the fridge, where it can be kept, opened or not, for a week.
Of course, I tried some right away -- cinnamon-persimmon jam ended up being a really good match for brioche french toast. I can see it being used in a trifle, on a cheese plate, or in fruit tarts soon. Sometime this winter, I think it might be nice to spend another night making freezer jam with whatever's in season. (If you want to try it along with me, know that I found my jars in Target's kitchen and cooking section and my pectin at Whole Foods this week.)
