I recently took the kids strawberry picking out at Eden Farm and, as always, we came home with far more berries than we could eat. Usually I would turn the extras into jam or freeze them by the handful for smoothies, but I wanted to try something different. A friend of ours had given us a huge bag of lemons and my family is a big fan of lemonade, so why not strawberry lemonade? And since I am always on the lookout for reasons to get my kettle fired up, why not can it? This is a lovely treat for a hot day – a concentrated homemade “mix” ready to go at a moment”s notice. This recipe is from Ball”s Complete Book of Home Preserving and it is definitely a keeper!

Ingredients:
6 cups strawberries, cleaned and hulled
4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 cups sugar
Yield ~ 6 pints

1) Prepare two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer’s directions.

2) Purée strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth.

3) Squeeze lemons to extract juice.

{{ I really wanted to just post 50 pictures of lemon juicing. I have my grandparents’ old school Juice-O-Mat and love that thing!}}

4) Add strawberry purée, lemon juice, and sugar to a large pot, stirring to combine. Heat to 190° F over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Do not boil.

5) Remove from heat and skim off foam. Ladle into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

6) Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner for 15 minutes.

To reconstitute, start with 1 cup of concentrate to 1 cup of water (or ginger ale or tonic water or vodka ) and adjust for taste. We like a 1:2 ratio over here. With water! At least for the kids…