Canning Strawberries in a Warm Water Bath

Strawberries can be canned but people usually enjoy them more frozen. If you like old fashioned strawberry pie that is more like an apple or cherry pie, canned strawberries are best for that. The canned strawberries also make a good sauce.

Ever had a real 13 egg white angel food cake? With vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce over it? Oh! And don't forget the whipped cream. It would be great for an adult birthday party instead of a regular cake.

Strawberries can be a fun outing for the family. There are plenty of "pick your own" fields available. Of course, I always found that taking the kids meant that they had an "eat your own" time while I picked the strawberries that we took home.

Supplies:

• water bath canner
• set with funnel, tongs, lid lifter, and headspace measure
• jars
• lids and bands
• thick towel

Preparing the Jars

To prepare the jars, they can be washed in a dishwasher if it has a sanitized cycle. The jars can be left in the dishwasher on a heat cycle. The lids need to be washed and left in the hot water. Since the strawberries will take a bit of time to prepare for canning, you will want to prepare the canner and jars about 1/2 hour before you get the strawberries ready for the jars. The canner needs to be filled so that there will be an inch of boiling water over the top of the jars.

Preparing the Fruit

First remove the leaves from the top of the berries, this is called hulling. Once all the leaves are gone, I wash my berries in warm water and Dawn. Dawn dishwashing detergent will kill any tiny pests that are on the berries. Dawn is recommended above any others. Once I have swished the berries around in the soapy water, I rinse them twice. You can cut them if you want, I usually leave them whole.

Canning the Strawberries

1. Put the strawberries in a big pot with 1/2 cup of sugar to one quart of berries and be sure they are all covered. You may have to add a bit more sugar, up to 3/4 cup of sugar per quart. Let stand for 6 hours at room temperature.

2. A little before the 6 hours are up, get the canner and jars ready. Be sure the lids are in hot water.

3. Put the strawberries on the stove and heat them up until the sugar has dissolved and the berries are hot through. Once the berries are hot, fill the jars. You will need to take care of the air bubbles with a plastic spatula and leave a 1/2 inch of headspace. Add the lids and bands.
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4. Put the jars into the hot water canner. Keep 2 inches of boiling water over the tops of the jars. Process for 15 minutes.

5. Once they are processed, remove the jars from canner with the tongs. Let them cool on the thick towel on the counter. Be sure the jars don't touch. Once the jars are cool and the jars are sealed, the bands can be removed. You are ready to put the jars in a dark, cool place so you can enjoy them throughout the year.

By Mary Belk