Strawberry Hulls Forever

Summer must be nearby. Today I picked four quarts of strawberries and couldn’t stop thinking about lemonade all afternoon. Strawberries are early this year and because they have a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it season, I decided to go strawberry picking while I had the chance. Before I moved here, the only berries I’d ever picked were the wild raspberries that grew along the borders of state park campgrounds. For the past three years I’ve picked strawberries or raspberries at a nearby farm. I even taught myself to make jam–with messy results.

This afternoon was perfect for berry picking. The breeze had a chill but the sun was hot. I could almost see it slowly baking the strawberries to a deep red. Sitting in the straw, I felt like I was unearthing rubies in the dark leaves. It took an hour, but I left the farm with four quarts of berries–minus the few that I ate right in the field.

Most of the berries were destined to be jam. Canning takes too much time and know-how, so I make freezer jam. I make the jam using the traditional method, but I pour it into jars and keep it in my freezer. Jam is easy enough to make, however, it requires a bit of time (and strong forearms for all that stirring).

Here’s what I did: First, I hulled strawberries. Then I hulled some more. Then (45 minutes later) I put 5 1/3 cups of crushed strawberries and 6 tablespoons of fruit pectin in a stockpot. I brought the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Next I added 4 cups of granulated sugar and brought it to a boil again while continuing to stir. Once it started boiling for the second time, I let it boil for 1 minute before removing it from the heat. Then I skimmed off the foam and poured the jam into hot glass jars. Thirty minutes on the counter and the jam was ready for the fridge. Later I’ll put the jam in the freezer and hope that the jars don’t explode.

I used 3 quarts of berries to make 4 pints of jam, which leaves me with 1 quart to use in other recipes. Here are some that I’m hoping to try: