Fresh Strawberry Preserves
Servings 6 1/2 pints of jam
Ingredients
- 8 cups fresh strawberries (hulled and stemmed)
- 4.5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 oz lemon juice (or all the juice you can squeeze from half a lemon)
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot add the strawberries then mash them with an old-fashioned potato masher. Repeat the mashing throughout the cooking process.
- Cook over a low heat, until the strawberries begin to simmer. Once simmering, add the sugar and stir to combine. Next, add the juice from half a lemon.
- Turn up the heat to medium and continue to cook the strawberry mixture until it boils and the sugar has all dissolved.
- Remove the pot from the heat and set aside while preparing the jars.
- Sterilize the jars and bands just before using by submerging in simmering water for ten minutes. Do not sterilize the lids because it can jeopardize the sticky substance which seals the jars. Just wash the lids and rinse before using.
- Transfer the sterile jars to your work station and ladle the hot strawberry preserve mixture into each jar within a half inch from the top.
- Wipe the rims if needed with a damp paper towel and seal with a lid and band.
- Once you have all the jars filled, process the strawberry preserves in a boiling water bath for ten minutes. The water should cover the top of the jars by an inch and do not start timing until the water is boiling.
- Use canning jar tongs to transfer the jars from the water batch to a countertop lined with a towel to cool overnight.
Notes
*Please note that the jars and bands may be reused again and again but lids are one-time use only.