Handsome got his wish. Yesterday, we processed the strawberries I picked up from the delivery truck on Sunday. These strawberries were hauled north from Plant City, FL and they're delicious!
I stood and cored them on Monday, then bagged them in two quart batches to make life easier on canning day. All I had to do was dump them into my Kilner pot with the SureJell™ pectin, and once that mixture came to a boil, add sugar. It had to come back to a boil, and cook another minute to be ready to pack into pint jars. The jam was processed in a water bath for ten minutes and then removed to cool on the counter.
I purchased sixteen pounds (24 pints) of strawberries. After they were cleaned and packaged, I had four two-quart batches (plus another four cups to eat fresh). I processed two batches at a time, and we ended up with just shy of nineteen pints of jam.
This morning, they'll be labeled to put away. I'll have to rearrange the jam shelf in the pantry a bit to accommodate all these jars, too. Of course, a few will immediately be gifted, but I won't need to can strawberries this summer. I'll be able to concentrate on something else from the garden or local market instead.
I think it's time for my morning coffee, accompanied by a small bowl of fresh strawberries and cream. A nice start to the day, don't you think?
