I have never canned anything before…well that isn’t true I think I helped my mom can something when I was 5 (but that doesn’t count).
So… my friend bought 20 pounds of strawberries for $5 (crazy good deal) and since she is so amazing she brought over about 1/2 for me, they were perfect for jam…nice, ripe and a little squishy. And so it was time to take a crash corse in canning. With some help from my friend, and the internet, it was a success.
The recipe
(found on allrecipes.com, but I altered mine a little. I didn’t want quite so much sugar)
2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled
3 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
(I liked this recipe because it was pectin free)
In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don’t bother with processing, and just refrigerate.
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After the canning was through I thought they needed a little something…so I got
Twine
burlap (some left over I got from Home Depot, they are actually used for painting)
acrylic paint
I just cut out some circles (a little bigger than the lids), tied them on top with the twine and painted little strawberries.
