The Strawberry Pie Book

Plus “How to Make Strawberry Freezer Jam”

Dennis Weaver

The Prepared Pantry

A Welcome from the Author

I absolutely love strawberries.

I love

them for dessert and love them for

breakfast.

Strawberries and whole milk with just a

touch of sugar is a great way to start the
day. On those mornings when I start the
day with cold cereal, a topping of sliced

strawberries brightens the breakfast.

But strawberries for dessert, that’s what

really gets my creative juice driving.
There is just so much to do with

strawberries. In this book, we would like
to share some of our favorite recipes.

You have to start any collection of strawberry recipes with strawberry pie. You’ll see that

we’ve introduced two different tracts: How to make a strawberry pie in a hurry and
variations on strawberry pie. But you’ll also learn about the care of strawberries and

how to make perfect pie crusts.

We’ve added a section about strawberry freezer jam almost as an afterthought. But why

not? Strawberries are fragile and don’t last long. So when you get a chance to pick up a
case of good looking strawberries at a great price, what are you going to do with those
that you can’t use immediately? Make freezer jam. It’s quick and easy and a great way

to use surplus berries while they are still prime.

We hope you love our strawberry pies as much as we do. Thanks for joining us and

happy baking.

Dennis Weaver

The Prepared Pantry

3847 East 38 North

Rigby, ID 83442

208-745-7892

www.preparedpantry.com

Copyright 2006-2011, The Prepared Pantry and Dennis Weaver. All rights reserved.

The Strawberry Pie Book

Contents

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A Welcome from the Author ..............................................................................2

Contents ..............................................................................................................3

The Care and Keeping of Strawberries....................................................................4
Tools of the Trade: What You’ll Need ......................................................................5

The Fifteen Minute Strawberry Pie ...........................................................................6

The Restaurateur’s Strawberry Pie..........................................................................6
Easy Strawberry Pie ................................................................................................7
Easier Strawberry Pie..............................................................................................8

Easiest Strawberry Pie ............................................................................................9

More Strawberry Pie Recipes .................................................................................10

Luanne’s Secret Strawberry Pie ............................................................................10

Strawberry Pie for Breakfast?................................................................................11
My Favorite Strawberry Rhubarb Pie ..................................................................... 11

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Dutch Crunch Topping.............................................12
Fresh Strawberry Vanilla Cream Pie...................................................................... 13

Three Keys to the Perfect Crust .............................................................................15

Three Ways to Make Strawberry Freezer Jam....................................................... 17

About Freezer Jam ................................................................................................17
Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam with Clear Jel .........................................................18

Easy Freezer Strawberry Jam ............................................................................... 18
Strawberry Freezer Jam ........................................................................................19

The Care and Keeping of Strawberries

Not much is better than fresh, succulent

strawberries in the spring. But they are
kind of fragile little creatures. When
shopping for strawberries, pick only the

best, ripe strawberries free from bruises.
The strawberries should be firm but of
even color. Those with white or green

shoulders are not yet ripe and will not be
sweet. Local berries are often fresher and
therefore better than those trucked in.

Smaller berries are often sweeter than
large berries.

When you get the berries home, pick

through them and discard any that have mold. Do not wash them and do not remove the
caps. Strawberries are best if used fresh. To keep them as fresh as possible, layer them
between sheets of paper towels in the refrigerator.

When you get ready to use the strawberries, wash them with the caps on. Strawberries
absorb water readily and waterlogged strawberries have reduced flavor and will be a

runny mess in your favorite dish. To wash strawberries, either rinse them quickly in
gently running water or agitate them momentarily in a bowl of water to release any
foreign matter. Drain them and pat them dry on paper towels to avoid water absorption.

Tools of the Trade: What You’ll Need

You’ll need a pie pan, of course. We’ve fallen in love with our

Professional Pie Pans

.

They are heavy duty, commercial quality pie pans. The nonstick surface is so slick that
you can tip and slip the pie from the pan to serving plate and cut the pie there. It’s
attractive and you’ll never scratch the pan.

Strawberry pies are assembled in pre-baked crusts. So you’ll need some pie weights to
place in the bottom of the crust to keep it from rising and blistering. In the past, we have
chosen

pie weight chains

but lately we’ve fallen in love with

ceramic pie weights

. You

should also have a pair of

pie crust shields

on hand. Place those over the rim of the

crusts to keep them from burning.

You’ll need a premade crust, our

Just-Add-Water Pie Crust Mix

, or your favorite recipe

for making crusts. The mix will make a better crust than a premade one—just don’t
over-mix the dough.

You’ll want a

strawberry slicer

. With one stroke you can cut each berry into nice, neat,

uniform slices. And it’s quicker than using a knife.

If you are making your own pie crust, you’ll need a

rolling pin

. We offer several. See

this “

Buyer’s Guide to Rolling Pins

” to see which is best for you.

The Fifteen Minute Strawberry Pie

Merri Ann and I stopped at a neighborhood restaurant.

The waitress said that they had really good strawberries
in and I ordered a slice of strawberry pie. It didn’t have
a glace to it, the gelled base to hold the berries.

Instead, it had a nice crust loaded with strawberries in
just a little slurry and topped high with whipped cream. I
thoroughly enjoyed it.

A couple years ago, we got on this kick to make the
quickest, easiest strawberry pie. We made pie after pie
and at the end, we were timing strawberry pies at 12

minutes. (We gave you another three minutes in the
title.)

From that episode, we created an Easy Strawberry Pie,

and Easier Strawberry Pie, and an Easiest Strawberry
Pie. You’ll find those recipes herein.

But we were intrigued by the restaurateur’s strawberry

pie. So off to the store we went to find some good
strawberries.

The Restaurateur’s Strawberry Pie

The restaurateur’s strawberry pie was simple. My first guess was that he or she did
nothing but toss the berries in sugar and allow escaping juices to create the slurry.
Wrong. Without a thickener, it was a soggy mess. My second guess was that he or she

cooked a slurry on the stovetop with which to toss the berries in.

We went a different route. By using Instant Clear Gel, we could avoid the cooking.
Soon we had an excellent pie with no cooking. That became our Easier Strawberry Pie.

But even though this requires no cooking, we have an even easier strawberry pie.

Easy Strawberry Pie

This is a great, easy, fresh strawberry pie to make.

Since the strawberries are not cooked, the succulent
goodness of the berries stands out.

There are three components to this pie plus optional

whipped cream for garnish. They are the crust, the
berries, and the glace.

The crust:

Make the pie crust according to package directions.
Prick the surface of the pie crust with the tines of

fork to allow for steam to escape. Line the bottom of
the crust with pie weights. Bake the crust for eight
to twelve minutes or until it just starts to brown.

The berries:

Wash and hull the strawberries. Do not allow the strawberries to sit in water since they
will absorb water and make the pie runny. Mash enough strawberries to make about one

cup of pulp. Use a

strawberry slicer

to cut the remaining strawberries into even, uniform

slices.

With a fork or a potato masher, mash enough of the remaining strawberries to make

about one cup of pulp.

The glace:

You’ll need the following ingredients plus the one cup of mashed berries.

1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup crushed strawberries
a few drops of red food coloring (optional)

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, crushed strawberries, and water in a saucepan. Cook
over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil, stirring often. Cook for two more

minutes until the sauce becomes thick and translucent. Stir in the butter. Add the red
food coloring if desired. Set it aside to cool.

To assemble your pie:

Spread the strawberry slices in the baked pie shell. Pour the cooled glaze over the
berries. Refrigerate the pie until it is well-chilled. Garnish with whipped cream and
serve.

Easier Strawberry Pie

Sometimes easy is better. This pie

recipe

showcases

your

fresh

strawberries perfectly. Fill a pie shell
with fresh strawberries and cover the

berries with glaze. Garnish the pie with
whipped cream and you’re done.

This pie is not too sweet and the fresh
taste of the strawberries is really
showcased.

Ingredients

1 baked nine-inch pie shell from

Just-

Add-Water Professional Pie Crust Mix

2 pounds quality strawberries (you’ll have some extra berries to snitch or use for
garnish)
3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoon

Instant Clear Gel

3/4 cup water
couple drops

Red Red Americolor gel food coloring

or equal

1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

1. Make the pie crust according to package directions. Prick the surface of the pie

crust with the tines of fork to allow for steam to escape. Line the bottom of the
crust with pie weights. Bake the crust for eight to twelve minutes or until it just

starts to brown.

2. Wash and hull the strawberries. Do not allow the strawberries to sit in water since

they will absorb water and make the pie runny. Use a

strawberry slicer

to cut the

strawberries into even, uniform slices.

3. Combine the sugar and Clear Gel. Add the water. Whisk until the crystals are

dissolved. Add the red food coloring if desired.

4. Fill the cooled pie shell with strawberry slices. Pour the slurry over the berries.

Let the pie chill for 2 to 3 hours.

5. Whip the cream until peaks form, adding the powdered sugar when the cream

begins to stiffen. After the pie has chilled and just before serving, garnish the pie
with whipped cream.

Easiest Strawberry Pie

This is the easiest and quickest way to

make a strawberry pie. You pick up
the components at the grocery store
and assemble your pie at home. You’ll

have a great pie without a lot of work.
Everyone will be impressed and your
pie should be done in about fifteen

minutes.

Here’s what you will need:

1. A pre-made pie crust from the

refrigerator or freezer section.

2. Strawberries. Pick up a two-

pound basket. You won’t need that many but it's nice to have enough to pick out
the best for your pie.

3. Glace. Most stores, especially in the spring, will have a pre-made glace for your

pie.

4. An aerosol can of whipped cream.

To assemble your pie at home:

Before you begin, thaw the pie crust and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

1. Prick the crust with a fork to allow steam to escape and bake it for eight to ten

minutes at 450 degrees or until it starts to brown.

2. While the crust is baking, wash and slice the berries. Pick out the best berries.

A strawberry slicer will make nice uniform slices and will be quicker. You will
need two cups of sliced strawberries.

3. Spread the slices evenly in the baked crust.
4. Spread the pre-made glace over the berries to fill the pie. Refrigerate the pie so

that it is well-chilled. Just before serving, garnish it with whipped cream from the
can.

More Strawberry Pie Recipes

Luanne’s Secret Strawberry Pie

This is a very different strawberry pie.

Most glaces are soft and when you cut
your pie, the strawberries slip out and
slices are not neat. (If you put enough

whipped cream on it, no one will notice.)
They taste great.

This pie uses strawberry Jello® so that it

cuts into nicer slices.

Ingredients

1 baked pie shell

1 1/2 quarts of strawberries, cleaned, either sliced or whole
1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
1 3 oz box of strawberry Jell-o®

Directions

1. In a sauce pan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the water, stirring until

the mixture is lump-free.

2. Cook on medium heat until thick and clear. Immediately add the strawberry jell-o.

Let the glace cool and pour it over the berries in the shell.

3. Let set for about 4 hours and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Thanks to Luanne T. in Florida for sharing this recipe.

Strawberry Pie for Breakfast?

As much as I love strawberry pie, I’m not going for strawberry pie for breakfast. But load

a warm pannekoeken with strawberries, a little vanilla cream syrup, and whipped cream
and I’m all over that.

In my head, a warm pannekoeken is perfect for breakfast. With a

pannekoeken mix

, you

only have to whisk three ingredients together. Bake time is about 10 minutes. By the
time, it comes out of the oven, you can have the berries ready go.

How if you are feeling a little indulgent, try a

chocolate pannekoeken mix.

And it’s pretty economical too. You can buy a

pannekoeken pan

for around $20. And a

mix makes nine large pannekoeken.

Best of all, it’s pretty impressive. It tastes great and it rises up dramatically, well above
the sides of the pan. “How did you do that?” your family and friends will exclaim.

My Favorite Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

A strawberry rhubarb pie is a classic.

The

tartness

of

the

rhubarb

complements the sweetness of the
strawberries perfectly.

Rhubarb has to be cooked for a pie. In
this recipe, the fresh strawberries are
added after cooking so that the fresh

taste of the strawberries is not lost.

Ingredients

1 baked nine-inch pie shell

3 cups rhubarb cut into one-inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water
a few drops of red food coloring (optional)

2 large egg yolks

1/4 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions

1. Combine the rhubarb pieces, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Cook over

medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer, stirring often. Turn the heat to
low and continue simmering until the rhubarb is soft. Add the red food coloring if
desired.

2. While the rhubarb is cooking, mix the egg yolks, cream, and cornstarch together

with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. Once the rhubarb is cooked, stir in the
cream mixture. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook until thick and

bubbly, about two minutes over low heat.

3. Pour the rhubarb mixture into a bowl. Add the prepared strawberries. Let stand

until the mixture cools almost to room temperature, stir to mix the fruit together,

and add to the baked pie shell. Chill in the refrigerator. Garnish with whipped
cream.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Dutch Crunch Topping

When I was a kid went to a local pie
shop occasionally. I was always torn
between lemon meringue and strawberry

rhubarb. I think the strawberry rhubarb
usually won out.

This pie is as good as I remember those

pies from long ago—maybe better
because I like streusel toppings.

How to thicken your pie filling:

There are three ways to thicken the
slurry for a pie:



With cornstarch as added as thickener to cook with the fruit as it bakes.



With cornstarch cooked as a slurry on the stovetop and added to the filling.



With tapioca.

For the first to work, adding the uncooked starch to the pie filling, the filling must cook

thoroughly so that the starch gelatinizes. That is sometimes hard to do. Cooking a
slurry on the stovetop is a more sure way to gelatinize the starch. Tapioca makes a very

nice pie in this recipe.

We made the pie first by adding 1/3 cup cornstarch to the filling. Even with the long
cooking time, the cornstarch did not entirely gelatinize and the slurry was not as thick as

desired. So we changed the recipe to tapioca.

How to avoid soggy bottoms:

Fruit pies tend to have soggy crusts. It takes a lot of heat to avoid soggy crusts. Dark

pans absorb heat and light reflect heat. Always use a dark pan for fruit pies and you will
rarely have soggy bottoms.

You can buy a dark deep dish pie pan here.

1 9-inch single crust pie shell for a deep dish, unbaked
4 cups diced rhubarb
3 cups sliced strawberries

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup quick cooking tapioca

1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest

For the topping:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1. Prepare the pie crust from your favorite recipe and line a nine-inch deep dish pie

pan. A dark pie pan will make for a better, crisper crust.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, salt, cornstarch,

and lemon or orange zest.

3. Make the topping by mixing the flour, sugars, and salt together in a medium

bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of peas.

Set aside.

4. Transfer the filling to the pie shell. Top it with the topping mixture.
5. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn the temperature down to 350 degrees

and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes. The rhubarb should be tender.

6. Move the pie to a rack to cool. Let sit for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Fresh Strawberry Vanilla Cream Pie

This is simply a vanilla cream pie made in a deep dish pie pan so that you can pile fresh
strawberries and glace on top. Adorned with whipped cream it is very attractive. Fresh

strawberries and vanilla cream make a wonderful combination.

This pie has four components plus the whipped cream: The crust, the vanilla cream
filling, the strawberries and the glace.

The crust:

Make a pie crust from your favorite recipe and fill a deep-dish, nine-inch pie pan. Prick
the crust with the tines of a fork so that steam can escape while baking. Bake it at 450

degrees for eight to ten minutes or until it begins to brown. Set it aside to cool.

The berries:

Wash and hull the strawberries. Do not allow the strawberries to sit in water since they

will absorb water and make the pie runny.

Select uniform ripe berries and slice them until you have 1 1/2 cups of sliced
strawberries. Set them aside.

The glace:

You’ll need the following ingredients plus the one cup of mashed berries.

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon butter
couple drops red food coloring (optional)

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, mashed strawberries, and water in a saucepan. Cook

over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil, stirring often. Cook for two more
minutes until the sauce becomes thick and translucent. Stir in the butter. Add the red
food coloring if desired. Set it aside to cool.

Note: If you would like a more translucent glaze, strain the cooked glaze to remove
seeds and pulp.

The vanilla cream pie filling:

3 cups milk or light cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. In a heavy saucepan, mix the milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring often

with a whisk, just until the mixture begins to boil.

2. With a whisk, whip the egg yolks and whole egg together in a stainless steel

bowl. Sift the cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar together into the eggs. Whip until
perfectly smooth.

3. While stirring the eggs with your whisk, drizzle the hot milk into the egg mixture.

The hot milk will temper the eggs. Return the filling mixture to the heat and cook,
stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from

the heat.

4. Stir in the butter and vanilla until the butter is melted.

To assemble your pie:

Spread the warm vanilla cream filling in the baked pie shell. Set the pie in the

refrigerator for 30 minutes, uncovered to cool.

Distribute the strawberry slices over the vanilla filing. Pour the cooled glaze over the
berries. Refrigerate the pie until it is well-chilled. Garnish with whipped cream and

serve.

Three Keys to the Perfect Crust

There are three keys to making perfect pie crusts. The first is choosing the right
ingredients in the right ratio. The second is cutting the butter or shortening into the flour

mixture properly. The third is maintaining the correct temperature.

1. The Ingredients

Pie crusts are a mixture of flour, fat, and water. The best recipes seem to have a

common ratio of these ingredients: 1/4 cup water to 1/2 cup fat to 2 1/2 cups flour. (The
flour should be measured by spooning the flour into the measure, not scooping it.
Scooping packs the flour and overloads the formula.) Add one-half teaspoon of salt and

you have a recipe for a double crust.

2. Butter or Shortening

For the fat, you can use either butter or shortening or a combination. (Butter is 15%

water so cut back slightly on the water when using butter—though the ratio is forgiving
enough that you probably won't notice the difference.) If you are making more than one

pie, just change the amounts but keep the same proportions.

It is important that you cut the fat into the flour mixture properly. For that you will need a

pastry knife

. With a pastry knife, cut the butter or shortening through the flour until the

mixture is coarse and nearly uniform without large chunks remaining. If you are using
butter, work quickly so that the butter doesn’t become soft or melt.

3. Temperature

Temperature may be even more important than balance—especially if you are using
butter. The trick is to keep the butter and the dough cold enough that the butter pieces
remain intact. If it gets too warm, it melts and saturates the flour. (The same thing

happens with shortening but the melting temperature of shortening is higher.) It's the
little pieces of butter that makes the crust flaky. As the butter heats in baking, little
pockets of steam are formed from the butter nodules.

To keep your dough cold, use only the coldest butter and water. Then refrigerate the
dough for an hour before forming the pie. If making multiple pies, take only enough
dough from the refrigerator for one pie keeping the rest cold until you are ready to for it.

Recipe for a Double Crust

1/4 cup ice water
1/2 cup shortening
2 1/2 cups pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix the salt and flour together with a whisk.
2. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until you have a coarse, nearly uniform

mixture.

3. Make a well in the center and add the ice water. Mix with a fork until it comes

together into a dough ball. Knead a few times, only until the dough is smooth.

Extra kneading will make the crust tough instead of crumbly.

4. Roll the dough to about 1/8 inch thick and form the crust.

Just-Add-Water Pie Crust Mix

A just-add-water pie crust mix makes a remarkable pie crust with little work. Just add
cold water and beat for moment with the paddle and your stand-type mixer. Mix only

until it comes together into a dough ball. With and electric mixer, it’s easy to beat too
long and the dough will be tough.

See our

Just-Add-Water Professional Pie Crust Mix

.

Three Ways to Make Strawberry Freezer Jam

As of this writing, we have three recipes for

strawberry freezer jam on our website. How do they
compare? What are the differences?

Two are made with pectin; one with Clear Jel. The

Clear Jel recipe comes from Washington State
University, Skagit Extension, and used with
permission. There are advantages to Clear Gel and

Clear Gel is a handy multi-use ingredient in the
kitchen. But for us, the main reasons to use Clear
Gel in freezer jam are:



You can use less sugar. While ingredient
ratios must be carefully adhered to when
using pectin, the amount of sugar can be

adjusted using Clear Jel.



Clear Jel is less expensive than pectin.



Learn more about making jams with Clear
Jel >>



See our Clear Jel products >>

Of the two remaining recipes, one is simply fruit, sugar, and pectin and so the pure fruit
flavor really shows. The other has lemon to make it tarter and accentuate the flavor. It
also has an addition of corn syrup. Corn syrup in place of sugar tends to mask fruit

flavors but this is dominantly composed of sugar and is very good jam.

About Freezer Jam

When it’s strawberry time, why not pick up a flat or two and turn them into this easy
freezer jam. You’ll make far better jam than anything you might buy in the store.

Because the fruit is not cooked, freezer jam has more of that fresh, just-picked flavor.
We much prefer it over most cooked jams. And most freezer jams are much quicker and
easier to make—they should take less than one hour.

Hints for success:



When making freezer jam with pectin, make sure that the ratios of sugar to fruit
to pectin is what is recommended by the pectin manufacturer regardless of the

pectin brand you use.



Since the jam is not sterilized by boiling, it must be frozen or refrigerated to keep

from spoiling.



Cover the jam with clean, tight-fitting lids—never with paraffin.



Using the paddle and your stand-type mixer to crush berries will incorporate air in

into your jam. The jam will be opaque and lighter color but quite attractive.



Once the pectin begins to set up thickening the jam, do not stir. Continuing to stir
will break down the pectin and make for a syrupy jam.

Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam with Clear Jel

4 cups crushed strawberries

1/4 cup lemon juice
7 tablespoons

Clear Jel®

Sugar to taste (approximately 1 1/2 cup)

1. Add lemon juice to berries.
2. Combine the

Original Clear Jel®

with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Add this to the

strawberries.

3. Bring the berry mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the rest of the sugar and

boil for one more minute, stirring constantly.

4. Pour into jars, leaving 1/4” headspace.

5. Freeze.

This jam can also be hot water processed instead of frozen.

Easy Freezer Strawberry Jam

This is a great, easy pure fruit recipe. Debbie Frantzen, our operations manager,
contributed this recipe but I think it is a derivation of a Sure-Jell recipe.

Four pints of fresh strawberries

Eight cups of sugar
Two 1.75 ounce packages of pectin (Sure Jell or equal)

1. Wash and hull the strawberries, then crush them (you can use your blender to

crush the strawberries if you prefer). You should have one quart of crushed
berries.

2. Stir the sugar into the prepared fruit.

3. Stir the pectin into 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Bring the water to a boil stirring

constantly. Boil for one to two minutes.

4. Stir the hot pectin mixture into the strawberry mixture. Stir until the sugar is

dissolved.

5. Pour into clean plastic or glass containers. Leave at least a half inch for

expansion at the top.

6. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours to set.

After the jam has set, store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks or the freezer for up

to one year.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

This makes great strawberry freezer jam. Lemon juice is added for tartness and to help

preserve color.

3 1/4 cups strawberries sliced or crushed
1/4 cup lemon juice

1 package pectin, MCP brand or equal
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1. Wash and dry five pint-sized jam jars or plastic containers. The jars must be

clean and bacteria free. Make sure the lids fit tightly.

2. Wash and hull the strawberries and slice or crush them. Measure the fruit to

make certain that you have the right amount. Place the measured fruit in the
bowl of your stand-type mixer. Add the lemon juice.

3. Using the paddle attachment, stir in the pectin thoroughly. Turn the mixer to the

lowest setting and let the mixer run for ten minutes. Let sit for 20 minutes.

4. Add the corn syrup into the fruit mixture. The corn syrup reduces the likelihood

of sugar crystallization. Add the sugar and stir with the mixer until it is completely
dissolved and no longer grainy, about five minutes.

5. Immediately, pour the jam into your prepared containers leaving 1/2 inch

clearance for expansion while freezing. Let the jars stand on the counter for 24
hours to allow the pectin to set then freeze.