Strawberry Preparation...

Recipes...

 

Strawberry Preparation: Remove caps. Wash 1 to 2 quarts at a time and drain. Do not soak berries.
Freezing Strawberries: Prepare berries. To make a syrup pack, mix and dissolve 3 cups of sugar in 4 cups of water. Add 1 cup of this syrup per quart of prepared strawberries. To make a dry pack, mix 2/3 cup dry sugar per quart of strawberries. To package, fill pint or quart freezer bags to a level of 3 to 4 inches from the top. Squeeze out the air and leave 1 inch of space at the top. Before freezing, bags may be inserted into reusable freezer containers for added protection against punctures and leakage. An average of 1 pound makes 1 pint of frozen strawberries. Back to top

 

Strawberry Jam: Wash and sterilize 4 half-pint or 2 pint jars. Prepare lids according to manufacturer’s instructions. Slice or crush prepared berries. To make a jam with added pectin, follow the instructions of the pectin manufacturer to ensure a desirable texture. To make jam without added pectin, mix 4 cups sugar with 4 cups of berries. Bring to a boil while stirring rapidly and constantly. Continue to boil until done. Use a jelly or candy thermometer to determine when to put jam into jars. Boil until the temperature of the mixture reaches 220 degrees F. Instead of using a thermometer, you may use a refrigerator test to determine doneness. Place 2 tablespoons on a cold plate (from the freezer) and chill the plate in the freezer for 2 minutes. If the mixture gels, it is ready to put into jars.

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Perfect - No Sugar Freezer Jam by Jane Churchill: (Uses all strawberry pulp) Sanitize five 8 oz plastic containers by boiling for 10 minutes. Remove, turn upside down and drain. 1 box Ball Fruit Jell No Sugar Needed Pectin ~2 quarts strawberries (2 to 2.5 lbs) Wash and remove stems.  Quarter berries and pack, pressing with hands into a two cup measure.  Repeat with additional berries to fill another two cup measure half full.  Put berries in a flat bottomed bowl and crush with a potato masher.  Add 15 to 18 packets of Equal or to taste.  Repeat filling another two cup measure. (5 cups in all.) Puree the last 2 cups in a food processor until smooth. Pour half the pureed berries into a one quart sauce pan.  Add the pectin, stirring it in thoroughly.  (I use a wire whisk for this.)  On medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  If scorching occurs reduce heat.  Boil one minute.  (Boiling really is the formation of large bubbles in the very thick puree.) Quickly, stir in the remaining pureed berries.  Using a wire whisk stir this mixture into the bowl of crushed berries.  Whisk for three minutes.  Pour the jam into the prepared containers, filling to within 1/2 inch of the top.  Cover and cool to room temperature.  Refrigerate overnight and then freeze.  Keeps for a year in the freezer. Do not double recipe.  Make one batch at a time. I make all my berry jams with pureed fruit instead of water and/or fruit juice.  Seeded berries (Red or Black Raspberries and Blackberries) I put through a chinois (not a Foley food mill),  Sweet cherries  and peaches I chop in the food processor instead of crushing.  For peaches I dip the halves or quarters in a Fruit Fresh solution before chopping I buy the Ball Fruit Jell at Shop Right. Good luck with the freezer jam. We are still enjoying Sunday's pick and looking forward to next year. Jane Churchill

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Strawberry Rhubarb Jelly: Wash and cut 1 ½ pounds rhubarb into 1 inch pieces and blend or grind. Wash, stem, and crush 1½ quarts of strawberries one layer at a time in a saucepan. Place both fruits in a jelly bag or double layer of cheesecloth and gently squeeze out juice. Put 3 ½ cups of juice into a large saucepan. Add ½ teaspoon butter and 6 cups of sugar thoroughly mixing into juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Immediately stir in 6 ounces of liquid pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard for one minute. Quickly skim off any foam and immediately place in sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe sealing edge of jars with a clean, damp paper towel. Add lids, tighten screw bands, and process jars in boiling water.

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Canning Strawberries: Quantity: An average of 12 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts. An average of 8 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A 24-quart crate weighs 36 pounds and yields 18 to 24 quarts. An average of 1 ¾ pounds per quart. Quality: Choose ripe, sweet berries with uniform color. Procedure: Wash 1 or 2 quarts of berries at a time. Drain, remove caps and stem if necessary. Prepare and boil preferred syrup if desired. Add ½ cup syrup, juice, or water to each clean jar. Preferred Syrup: Very Light Syrup for 7-quart load.   9-pint load 10 ½ cups water          6 ½ cups water 1 ¼ cups sugar             ¾ cups sugar Light Syrup for 7-quart load   9-pint load 9 cups of water           5 ¾ cups of water 2 ¼ cups of sugar       1 ½ cups of sugar Medium Syrup for 7-quart load   9-pint load 8 ¼ cups of water       5 ¼ cups of water 3 ¾ cups of sugar        2 ¼ cups of sugar Heat water and sugar together. Bring to a boil and pour over raw fruit in jar. For hot packs, bring water and sugar to boil, add fruit, reheat to boil, and fill jars immediately. Hot Pack: Heat berries in boiling water for 30 seconds and drain. Fill jars and cover with hot juice, leaving ½ inch headspace. Raw Pack: Fill jars with any of the raw berries, shaking down gently while filling. Cover with hot syrup, juice, or water, leaving ½ inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

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Strawberry Topping: Juices from fresh or frozen strawberries are easily made into toppings for ice cream and pastries. Select 6-1/2 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries. Wash, cap, and stem strawberries and crush in a saucepan. Heat to a boil and simmer until soft (about 5-10 minutes). Strain hot through a colander and drain until cool enough to handle. Strain the collected juice through a double layer of cheesecloth or jelly bag. Discard the dry pulp. You should get about 4 ½ to 5 cups of juice. Combine the juice with 6-3/4 cups of sugar in a large saucepan, bring to boil, and summer 1 minute. To make syrup with whole fruit pieces, save 1 or 2 cups of the fresh or frozen fruit, combine these with the sugar, and simmer as in making regular syrup. Remove from the heat, skim off foam, and fill into clan half-pint or pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. Adjust the lids and process. Recommended process time for Strawberry Topping in a boiling water canner is: 10 minutes 0-1,000 feet in altitude 15 minutes 1,000-6,000 feet in altitude 20 minutes above 6,000 feet in altitude.

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Frozen Strawberry Cookie Pie 3 (9-inch) Graham cracker pie shells 3 lbs, 6 oz - 3 quarts Vanilla ice cream, softened 1 lb, 14 oz - 3 3/4 cups Frozen sliced, sweetened Strawberries, thawed 1 lb, 2 oz - 6 cups Chocolate sandwich cookies, chopped
Directions 1. Bake shells according package directions; cool. 2. Mix ice cream with strawberries and cookies. 3. Pour 2 lbs. (5 cups) ice cream filling into each pie shell. 4. Place in freezer, cover tight. Freeze firm. 5. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before slicing. Yield: 24 Servings (1/8th pie) Back to top

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