I love June! Not only is it the beginning of summer, but it’s strawberry season!

This recipe is for a very large batch of strawberries, but the key to remember is that this recipe calls for equal parts strawberries to sugar. So if you have one cup of crushed strawberries, then use one cup of sugar! If you are a bit more health conscious, you can lessen the amount of sugar (up to a half) without changing the taste of the preserves drastically. These preserves do not contain a jelling agent, so they will not jell into a traditional thick jam. They make a thick syrup, that is incredibly versatile. We enjoy this recipe on everything including bread, crackers, pancakes, waffles and even ice cream!

To can this recipe, follow the directions in the previous article “Canning 101”.

This recipe will make 6 pints of preserves, so be ready and have 6 pint jars and lids sterilized and ready to fill.

Wash 4 pounds of strawberries. Remove stems and chop. Add them to a blender or food processor and puree. Add strawberries to a stock pot and add 4 pounds of sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes and be sure that the preserves come to a boil. Once they begin to boil, you will need to stir regularly to be sure that they don’t burn on the bottom of the pot.

Then simply follow the water bath canning method and process in the water bath for 20 minutes! Enjoy!

What's better than homemade strawberry preserves and fresh baked bread?